Enclosed malls dead...the future is topless

[Dead Mall courtesy:  CLUI & Steve Rowell]

Malls are evolving.  The old model, last implemented in Spokane Valley in 1997 and refreshed in Northtown in the past few years, is dead.  The future for malls is topless as in "lifestyle centers" and "towncenters" where the offering is not only shopping and dining, but also housing and public areas.  It's all open air baby.

Which leads us to an article we spotted on Planetizen from the New Urban News: Big mall owner sees its future in town centers.  The news is that General Growth Properties a huge owner/developer of malls has decided to start redeveloping its malls (200 of 'em) into something more mixed-providing housing, offices, hotels, etc.  And they've hired Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co to help. 

So how could this impact Spokane?  Well, a quick check of General Growth Properties holdings in Spokane show that they own the two aforementioned malls - Spokane Valley and Northtown Mall.  Thinking about which might have the most likelihood to become a 'towncenter' or lifestyle center and we'd have to go with Northtown.  It has the massive population around it in the form of single family and multifamily housing, ample parking structures, and the traffic/visibility of Division.  It could also inject some semblance of interest into that Division St. mess. 

For your enjoyment we found an old Spokane J.C. Penney's ad.

Comments

[Jim]

Yeah and the deadest of them all - " U City " is still languishing. It's like an old wound that won't heal. Definitly an area to avoid on the "Show your out of town friends and relatives Scenic Spokane Tour." Hopefully the new Town Center model will fly before the Valley Mall is boarded up and a new and bigger mall built in Greenacres...

[Ray]

Here's the ironic thing about this...if I remember correctly, a long, long time ago, Northtown was originally an open-air complex, not much different from the old Shadle Center.

[Andrew Waddilove]

The town center would be a great idea for Spokane Valley.
They need to tear down the entire U-City Mall, and clear out any other nearby under-used areas and start the town center idea in the same location.
I can visualize a large circular public park possibly with fountains, trees and plazas.
Traffic flow around the park would be a large rotary.
Constructed around the park, could be a mix-use of retail, office, and of course residential.
It would actually answer the question of "Where is Downtown Spokane Valley?"

[dan/Spokane]

I'm not sure why there isn't a highrise hotel around Northtown.....also the area around the Northtown Office Building would make a great complex for another Commercial and Condo Tower......Great View of Downtown Spokane.

Northtown was originally an outdoor shopping Mall until about 1983. Then it was enclosed....nice small mall...and it really changed to it's current form in 1990.

[Jim]

I like Andrew's idea. I believe there is a plan to build a Spokane Valley City Hall near U City. Your plan would be great. However unless our anti tax cousins in the Valley are willing to pay for it, we will continue to live with commercial slumlords - property owners who simply want to wait until they can cash in on the value of the dirt. What an abomination of urban lack of planning - deserted box stores replaced by bigger and newer versions further out in the sprawl to the east. Better zoning laws and ENFORCEMENT are needed to prevent letting these property owners shit all over the landscape. I suppose the the auto wrecking yard that sits adjacant to I-90 is somehow grandfathered into an old ordinance that allows it to ruin everyone's day and provide the worst possible image for visitors to our region...