First part of Eastland Mall to be demolished by end of May
The first phase of Eastland Mall’s demolition must be completed by May 31, according to a new agreement between the city and the owner of the vacant mall.
The agreement lays out a timeline for demolishing the closed mall while seeking to minimize disruptions to tenants in the mall’s former anchor spaces.
“This agreement sets out an aggressive schedule to prep this site for the future while also making sure it’s done right and that care is given to adjacent structures,” Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said in a Thursday news release announcing the agreement.
The agreement is the latest in the long-running battle between the city and the owners of the South Hamilton Road mall, which closed nearly two years ago after 54 years of serving the Southeast Side.
Eastland Mall, shown here in a 2023 photo, closed in 2022. The city and mall owners have come to an agreement for demolition of the property.
The city has taken primary owner of the mall, Eastland Mall Holdings LLC, to court for failing to maintain the property.
After finding the owner in contempt in 2022, Franklin County Environmental Court Judge Stephanie Mingo fined the company. After the property continued to deteriorate, Mingo reopened the case in June and added $1,000 a day in fines, in addition to a one-time $10,000 fine.
The owners have not paid any fines and have not brought the property into compliance, said Klein.
More: Columbus pledges $4 million to help revitalize old Eastland Mall area
The mall’s redevelopment has been complicated by multiple owners of the property. Eastland Mall Holdings owns the heart of the mall including the former JCPenney store, but different entities own the former Sear’s and Macy’s stores.
The Macy’s spot is occupied by Eastland Preparatory Academy, which Klein’s agreement seeks to protect.
While the first phase of demolition must be completed by May 31, the second phase, adjacent to the academy, cannot start until the school’s summer break and must be completed by Sept. 15, according to the agreement.
The agreement also requires Eastland Mall Holdings to present detailed demolition plans, including asbestos remediation, by Nov. 30.
“If owners fail to uphold their end of the agreement, the City will not hesitate to motion for a receiver to immediately come in and fulfill those obligations,” Klein said in the news release.
@JimWeiker
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus sets timeline for Eastland Mall demolition
