The demolition work filled the Indian River Mall with pounding, shearing noises, from the former Macy’s all the way down to Dillard’s on the other side of the mall.
The sounds reverberated June 3 through the deserted and empty food court, which will be torn down. A new food court will be moved closer to JCPenney as part of the redevelopment plans for the once-thriving mall.
Outside in the rain, excavators clawed back chunks of the former Macy’s wall, as pieces tumbled down in a cascading crescendo.
Demolition work is relieving and kind of fun, said Joseph Scarfone, who is working with mall owner DTS Properties.
“This has been dead for 10, 12 years,” Scarfone said. “Now, we are hopefully going to bring some new life into it.”
Conceptual renderings created by DTS Properties show a sleek, modern reimagining of the Indian River Mall.
It’ll have a hybrid indoor-outdoor shopping experience. Redevelopment will include construction of five outdoor 250,000-square-foot retail stores — one of which will be Sprouts Farmers Market — and a drive-through restaurant.
Scarfone has said other tenants have since committed, but he declined to identify them at this time.
“We want to bring the outdoor into the indoor, while still keeping that nostalgic mall feel,” Scarfone said. “That’s our intention. We believe if we can build something nice, something inviting, people will come back.”
A hotel was planned for the redevelopment, but that now is unlikely, Scarfone said. Apartments could be a possibility, he said.
While the demolition and redevelopment of Indian River Mall has been highly anticipated, noisy demolition work has also soured the shopping experience for the few stores still standing.
One kiosk owner complained June 2 about the nearby demolition work impacting his business. He pays nearly $1,000 per month on his lease, he said, and has been a tenant since 2019.
“I’m so stressed out here,” said Ronnie Raza, who owns the Jewelry Palace kiosk. “All I want is my customers. That’s it. The customers don’t come. Would you shop here?”
Shoppers complained June 2 about noises and the lack of air conditioning.
“Me, personally? I will never come here again,” said shopper Cristian Maupia. “Everything’s dead now. It’s not like how it used to be.”
Scarfone said he understands the tenants’ frustration. When the wall gets built, it should dampen the cacophony, he said — as a buzzing sound roared behind him.
“Everyone here had the opportunity to close up and come back or leave all together,” he said. “You can’t build something without demolition.”
The goal of redevelopment is to reel in popular tenants to make Indian River Mall a destination again, he said.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a challenge for a little while,” he said. “I think we’re off to a good start. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
(This story was updated with video.)
Jack Randall is TCPalm’s economy and real estate reporter. You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Demolition of Florida mall brings hope, but harsh noise for shoppers
Reporting by Jack Randall, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jack Randall, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
