Opened in 1981 to much fanfare, Crestview Hills Mall never developed into a true regional mall and was never filled to capacity. It was demolished in 2005 in favor of a lifestyle center.
The 475,000-square-foot Crestview Hills Mall opened with great fanfare in the 1981 as a regional shopping center, located in the suburban town of Crestview Hills off of Interstate 275.(2) Anchors were McAlpin’s and Dillard’s, along with a variety of smaller shops.(1) The mall, however, never reached full capacity due to increased competition from the Florence Mall and other shopping centers.(7) In addition, a planned third department store was never completed due to Interstate 275′s highway right-of-way consuming land that would have been used for the store.(8)
Tenants began leaving Crestview Hills Mall throughout the late 1990s, and by 2004, only Dillard’s and a handful of stores remained.
Redevelopment
In early December 2002, Crestview Hills city council voted 4-3 for zoning modifications which shortened the distance a builder must put between a roadway and a shopping center building, and between the roadway and the shopping center parking lot.(3) This was done to increase parking spots for customers of some of the newer restaurants, at the request of Southwyck Company, the mall’s owners.
Anderson Real Estate began discussions to purchase the Crestview Hills Mall from Southwyck in order to redevelop the property into a lifestyle center.(3) On November 11, 2003, Anderson stated to the city’s Economic Development and Zoning Committee that it had signed a letter of intent with Southwyck and was “ready to act.”(7)
On March 11, 2004, city council approved a preliminary site plan for the $65 million redevelopment, and agreed to let Anderson pay $5 million-plus over 20 years in lieu of property taxes as an incentive to redevelop the mall.(6) Tentative plans called for the entire facility to be razed, then rebuilt with a new Dillard’s and up to 60 upscale specialty retailers and restaurants to be completed by Christmas 2005.(6)(7)(8)
In May, the city council approved of the redevelopment plans.(5)
On March 11, 2005, the Dillard’s department store opened its new location after a four-day trial run.(5) It marked the completion of the first phase of the renamed Crestview Hills Mall redevelopment project. The new 200,000-square-foot store was rebuilt roughly one city block south of the old store that was demolished soon after the new store’s opening. Other retailers were scheduled to open in October.
The new lifestyle center was opened in November.(4)
Gallery
Links
Sources
- Crowley, Patrick. “Outdoor mall could bring growth to Crestview Hills.” Cincinnati Enquirer 8 Mar. 2004. 15 Apr. 2006 Article.
- Schroeder, Cindy. “Public views mall redo plan.” Cincinnati Enquirer 28 Jan. 2004. 15 Apr. 2006 Article.
- Eigelbach, Kevin. “Zone changes to let mall revamp style.” Cincinnati Post 16 Dec. 2002. 6 Jan. 2009: A11.
- Hansel, Mark. “New Ky. retail center is a hit.” Cincinnati Post 21 Nov. 2005. 6 Jan. 2009: A1.
- Paeth, Greg. “Dillard’s reborn – New store leads revival of Crestview Hills retail center.” Cincinnati Post 11 March 2005. 6 Jan. 2009: A26.
- Houck, Jeanne. “Crestview Hills Mall site plan approved.” Cincinnati Post 12 March 2004. 6 Jan. 2009: A17.
- Eigelbach, Kevin. “Rookwood-type center in works for revamping of Kentucky mall.” Cincinnati Post 12 Nov. 2003. 6 Jan. 2009: A12.
- Paeth, Greg. “Ky. mall may become another Rookwood.” Cincinnati Post 28 June 2003. 6 Jan. 2009: A9.
Ok……Crestviews Hills Mall NEVER had 2 anchors. It’s only anchor was McAlpins, which was owned by Merchantile Stores Corp. When Merchantile was bought by Dillard’s in 1998, the store became a Dillards. There WAS a pad at the opposite end of the mall for a second department store that was never built. McAlpins was at the end of the mall along I-275 so even if a 3rd anchor were to go in, the possible locations would have been nowhere near I-275 so that right-of-way issue in keeping anchors from the mall is also is also incorrect.