Burlington Center Mall

Burlington Center was a shopping mall located in Burlington Township, New Jersey. It was built by The Rouse Company of Columbia, Maryland. Its anchors were Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears.

For the shopping mall in Ontario, see Burlington Centre.
Burlington Center mall
Exterior view of Burlington Center mall, March 2018
LocationBurlington Township, New Jersey
Coordinates40.041°N 74.825°W / 40.041; -74.825
Address2501 Mt Holly Rd
Opening dateAugust 1982
Closing dateJanuary 8, 2018 (Sears closed September 2, 2018)
DeveloperThe Rouse Company
ManagementClarion Partners
OwnerClarion Partners
No. of stores and services100 (at peak)
No. of anchor tenants3 (at peak)
Total retail floor area800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors2
ParkingParking lot
Websiteshopatburlington.com

The mall closed on January 8, 2018, with only Sears remaining open until its closure on September 2, 2018.[2][3] Demolition of the mall began in early 2021.[4]

History

Burlington Center mall opened in 1982 and was developed by The Rouse Company.[5] The opening of Burlington Center mall in 1982 on the formerly rural corridor along County Route 541, has been credited as the trigger of a development boom on the stretch between Burlington Township and Mount Holly Township.[6] JCPenney opened a 103,000-square-foot (9,600 m2) store in August 1996 as an addition to the existing Strawbridge's and Sears stores. Jager Management acquired the mall in November 1999 for $10.5 million.[7] Strawbridge's, a longtime anchor at the mall, was converted to a Macy's store as of September 9, 2006.[8] At its peak, the mall had 3 anchor stores and 100 smaller stores and restaurants.[9]

Decline and redevelopment

In recent years, The Burlington Center mall saw an increase in the vacancy rate with few national chains remaining in the mall. In January 2010, Macy's announced that its Burlington Center location would close by March 2010.[10] In June 2012, the mall was sold at auction to Moonbeam Equities for $4.4 million.[7][9] In 2014, JCPenney left the mall as part of the chain's round of closures affecting 33 locations nationwide,[11] leaving Sears as the only anchor store at the mall.[12]

In 2014, the mall announced plans for redevelopment that would demolish the former Macy's and JCPenney and replace it with an outdoor shopping area.[13][14] Construction was expected to begin by the summer of 2016,[15] but work was delayed as a result of lease renegotiations with Sears, a primary property holder.[16] Throughout 2017, the mall continued to decline. By summer 2017, only a few stores were left at the mall, including a food pantry, arcade, Bath & Body Works, and Foot Locker. The food court was completely vacant and portions of the parking lot were overgrown with weeds.[9] As of the 2017 Christmas season, two non-profits were asked to leave the mall by December 22.[17]

The mall voluntarily closed on January 8, 2018 due to extensive damage from a burst water pipe, after originally planning to close in March 2018. The Sears store located on the property, which was under separate ownership than the rest of the mall, remained open.[9] On May 31, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing in September 2018 as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide, leaving the mall entirely without tenants.[2][3] In January 2019, Clarion Partners LLC was moving ahead with plans to acquire the former mall from Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC and demolish it for an industrial development.[18] OClario Partners purchased the mall for $22 million.[19] On February 1, 2019, a large bronze elephant named Petal that had been in the mall since 1982 was moved out of the closed mall and was relocated to the Burlington Riverwalk.[20]

In November, 2019, a new proposal was introduced for the redevelopment of the mall, including retail, restaurants, 400 to 500 housing units and several large warehouses.[21] Following the demolition of the mall in 2021, construction on a warehouse on the former site of the mall began in 2022. [22][23]

Controversy

The mall was closed early on January 13, 2007, due to gang-related violence that may have involved 20 individuals connected with the Bloods and the Next Level Gang (considered a stepping stone to the Crips).[24][25]

Former anchors

Mall anchors included:[26]

  • Sears – 145,039 sq ft (13,474.6 m2), (opened August 2, 1982; closed September 2, 2018)[27]
  • Macy's – 175,686 sq ft (16,321.8 m2) (originally Strawbridge & Clothier; closed 2010)
  • JCPenney – 102,704 sq ft (9,541.5 m2) (opened 1996; closed 2014)

Location

The mall was located on Mount Holly Road (County Route 541), between Interstate 295 (exits 47A/B) and the New Jersey Turnpike (exit 5).

References
  1. International Council of Shopping Centers: Burlington Center Mall Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, accessed September 21, 2006
  2. Halyey Peterson (May 31, 2018). "Sears is closing 63 stores as sales tumble — here's the full list". Business Insider. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  3. "Sears store in Burlington Township to close". The Courier-Post. Cherry Hill, NJ. May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  4. Walsh, Jim. "As one South Jersey mall comes down, others see need for change". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  5. "Sears store in Burlington Township to close". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  6. Frush, Charlie (November 19, 1986). "Boom Times Seeking Gold in the Route 541 Corridor". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  7. O'Sullivan, Jeannie (August 22, 2012). "Burlington Center Mall turns 30, gets new owner". Burlington County Times. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  8. Bishop, Christopher (April 30, 2006). "Strawbridge's retail reign ends". Burlington County Times.
  9. Hoover, Amanda (January 11, 2018). "The saddest mall in N.J. shutters after years of uncertainty". NJ.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  10. Conaboy, Chelsea (January 7, 2010). "Macy's closing new blow to a mall some call dead". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  11. "Here's A List Of The J.C. Penney Stores That Are Closing". The Huffington Post. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  12. "JCPenney closing in Burlington Twp". The Courier-Post. Cherry Hill, NJ. January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  13. Rojas, Cristina (February 2, 2014). "Closure of J.C. Penney at Burlington Center mall a 'possible opportunity' to expand redevelopment, owner says". The Times. Trenton, NJ. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  14. "Burlington Center Mall redeveloper buys shuttered J.C. Penney store as part of $230M revamp".
  15. "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com.
  16. "SJ mall's renovation delayed".
  17. Levinsky, David. "2 nonprofits asked to leave Burlington mall amid potential closing".
  18. Adelman, Jacob (January 26, 2019). "Investment group set to buy Burlington Center Mall, with reported plans for industrial project". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  19. Broadt, Lisa (2019-05-08). "After $22 million purchase, Burlington Center waits for redevelopment". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  20. "Petal the elephant moved from Burlington Center mall, headed to new home". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  21. Broadt, Lisa (2019-11-10). "Rebuilding Burlington Center". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  22. Walsh, Jim. "What's coming to former site of Burlington Center mall?". Burlington County Times. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  23. "Retail will return to former New Jersey mall site—along with three warehouses". Chain Store Age. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  24. Fight closes mall in Burlington Twp., The Courier-Post, January 16, 2007
  25. Mall Brawl Possibly Sparked by Mistaken Identity, WPVI-TV, January 16, 2007
  26. Hoover, Amanda. "NJ.com ranked all the malls in the state. See inside the saddest one", NJ.com, August 21, 2017. Accessed March 9, 2018. "The mall opened in August of 1982 on the nearly 42-acre site. In the late 1990s when Jager Management purchased the space, it was valued at $10.5 million. JCPenney became a third anchor, along with Sears and Strawbridge's, which later became a Macy's."
  27. "Burlington Center mall lease map". Moonbeam Capital Investments, LLC. Las Vegas, NV. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
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