Four Seasons Mall Redevelopment Plan Falls Through
The Four Seasons Mall in Plymouth will sit vacant even longer. Plans for redevelopment have hit a snag and it’s back to square one for Plymouth and Wal-Mart, which continues to own the property after trying to sell it.
Rock Hill Management, the group planning the redevelopment, could not make the financial numbers work and is no longer part of a project that was supposed to revive the mall with new business, including two hotels and a senior-living facility.
“It’s frustrating for everybody,” said Plymouth Community Development Director Steve Juetten. “It’s frustrating for the city, staff and the city council certainly. It’s frustrating for the residents that are in the area. We get calls on a regular basis. ‘What’s up? What’s going to happen?’ Everybody wants to see something happen. It’s something we wish there was activity on right now.”
The Four Seasons Mall has been vacant since 2010 when Wal-Mart bought the site for $10.6 million intending to build a store there. Neighborhood opposition halted those plans. The 17-acre site is valued at $8.9 million.
No one is sure how the site will play out, but whoever redevelops the mall will deal with some challenges.
“The issue is the soils are really poor,” Juetten said. “The cost to build buildings on that property are going to be more expensive then other sites in the surrounding area. The soils are the biggest challenge and biggest cost.”
Despite this setback, Juetten remains optimistic. He says the “market is still strong,” and that patience will ultimately produce the best project.
