Sunland Park Mall, could it's fate be the next North Park Mall? (El Paso: real estate, rent)

[Ms Kitty 98]

Sunland Park Mall does not generate as much business as Cielo Vista Mall, could it become the next North Park Mall of doom? The west side is growing a whole lot, yet like in Northeast El Paso with the former North Park Mall, it seems that there is no interest in support of commerce to this mall.
Back in the seventies before Sunland Park, developers wanted to build a large mall on the west side east of Interstate 10 and Mesa; it was to be called West Town Mall.It consisted of four major department stores a high rise hotel and an office park complex next to the mall,that deal fell through.
So maybe the west side could have had two malls since Sunland Park soon was also on the drawing boards, but now to think of two empty malls with hardly any business? I went shopping there a few weeks ago and had dinner at the Greenery, it's a nice mall;Well hopefully I'm wrong and Sunland Park Mall's better days are still ahead of it.

[Violet West]

it's never had as much business as Cielo Vista mall, which I think it's a shame, because it's a very nice mall. Cielo Vista sucks, because you can never find parking.

[joqua]

Of course it's all about the 3 rules of good business, especially the real estate business...location-location-location.

The original Bassett Mall set the stage for the centralized development of major store sites. Had not the Farah factory been there at the time Cielo Vista Mall was developed, there would be an even larger mall presence now. Malls in the NE and now those on the west side are not centrally located and therefore couldn't be expected to see the same degree of traffic.

[Ms Kitty 98]

Well there is plenty of parking at Sunland Park Mall and over at Cielo Vista Mall at this time during the Christmas Holidays the parking situation does suck, but during the rest of year there's plenty of parking.
In the near future they are going to add a couple of parking structures on the North side of the mall and turn it into a more pedestrian friendly atmosphere as the cinema theater and mall become more easily accessible for shoppers and movie goers alike.

[katzpaw]

I was at Sunland Park a few weeks after it opened. It's never been a busy mall but it seemed more lively when The Popular, Mervyns, JC Penny, and movie theater were there - but even then there were empty spots in the food court. The surrounding shopping centers are much busier - Best Buy, Marshalls, Ross, Academy... Hometown Buffet used to be where the China Buffet is now. Friends who work in small stores at Sunland Park say they can go all day without a sale.

[malamute]

I should hope Sunland Park makes it -- it's plenty crowded and not everyone enjoys the elbow to elbow shopping of Cielo Vista -- however El Pasoans and Juarenses seem to prefer extremely crowded places most.

I went to Cielo Vista mall a number of years ago -- never again, it was just huge mobs of people, not an enjoyable experience.

[Ms Kitty 98]

If you are going to shop at Cielo Vista Mall during the Christmas season,without doubt you will experience elbow to elbow crowds of people; so avoid the crowds and shop on a normal day instead,sure beats the hassle.

[Rogarven]

I, too , have worried about Sunland Park Mall. You don't see very many people there like the old days. I have wondered if the Outlet Mall has siphoned off some of the customers as well. However, the traffic around Mesa Hills and Sunland was a mess on Saturday. Cars going every which way. The lots were pretty full at Target, BB and B , and the outlying shopping areas. I think the Mall needs more national chains rather than these small local shops. I don't see how the locals can afford the rent that Simon charges.

[katzpaw]

Sunland Park Mall is too quiet (if it wasn't for old mall walkers it would be dead) and Cielo Vista is too busy. Let's see how the new Fountains shopping center (615,000 sq ft) affects Cielo Vista (1,200,000 sq ft) next door.

[malamute]

They had that dollar store in Sunland Park mall for a while -- that seemed to bring in a lot of customers and that store was always packed but it's gone now. It seemed to me like the parking lot was quite full everytime I past by it this Christmas shopping season, cars all the way to the edges -- but not lined up for a quarter mile trying to get in like you see at Cielo Vista - but why do people enjoy that?

Sunland Park is a convenient kind of mall -- you can get in and get out in just minutes. Probably a lot of people are more into on-line shopping now, malls may become a thing of the past.