MUNCIE, IN — Walk through Muncie Mall on any given day, and the most reliable foot traffic isn’t shopping; it’s exercise. A handful of older residents make laps through the main concourse, not in any particular rush.
They pass stores with signs advertising sales or special hours. But a lack of lights and foot traffic make it hard to tell whether some stores are open or closed.
Books-A-Million has customers. Tradehome Shoes is drawing a few, but otherwise, the mall is quiet.
Two and a half years ago, the company that now owns the building was still talking about potential.
“We are excited to join the Muncie community,” Hull Property Group owner Jim Hull said in a January 2024 press release announcing the acquisition. “The Muncie Mall has wonderful redevelopment potential.”
His vice president of government relations, John Mulherin, was also optimistic.
“The decline of this property did not occur overnight, and it will not be fixed overnight, but we are ready to put in the work and capital to offer an improved shopping experience for Muncie,” he said in the release.
The “work and capital,” it turns out, will be a wrecking ball.
According to Indiana Public Radio, Mulherin told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission in February that the original renovation plan is no longer viable. The mall is nearly vacant as of June 28.
Hull’s plan is full demolition of the building, aside from the portion owned by Buyer’s Market, with the 25-acre site to be redeveloped with a national wholesale club along McGalliard Road, additional retailers, and eventually apartments.
The Muncie Redevelopment Commission has committed $2.8 million in tax increment financing toward the new plan, according to meeting minutes. The minutes also show that Phase 1 calls for the demolition of about 250,000 square feet, including the former JCPenney, Sears and movie theater, to open outward-facing parcels along McGalliard Road.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Scenes from Muncie Mall: Traffic scarce as a few retailers linger
Reporting by Trinity Rea, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Trinity Rea, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
