NORFOLK, Va. — Details of the next steps for the MacArthur Center mall in Norfolk remain in limbo, after city leaders told 13News Now the purchase was finalized within the last week of July.
City council members voted to buy the mall for $18 million in June.
So, what does this mean for the small business owners who set up shop while major retailers took the exit door? Beth Dryer, founder of the nonprofit "757 Creative ReUse Center," is asking herself the same thing.
After she opened her store on the second floor in April, she worked hard to set up an expanded version of her business. However, with her lease coming up in March, Dryer and a couple other tenants are now left wondering what's going to happen.
"These are all things that are so up in the air for all of us," Dryer said. "It would be very beneficial for the tenants in the mall, especially those of us who are small businesses, to know what the city plans to do with this mall they just acquired, because they have not put out much information aside from they feel it's important for the redevelopment of the downtown area."
13News Now reached out to the city of Norfolk regarding this concern.
A spokesman said, "Respectfully, but they’re seemingly assuming changes will occur within a given timeline, but there’s nothing to substantiate such beliefs."
He went on to say since the finalization of the purchase just occurred days ago, it's still early in the process.
"Officials here have previously stated MacArthur Center will continue to operate as a shopping mall for the foreseeable future," the spokesman said. "That hasn’t changed, so there are no “latest plans” to discuss."
At the time of the decision to buy the mall, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said the city would have discussions with the mall's tenants and said the transition would be "seamless."
On the Downtown Norfolk's website, there are amendments to the 2030 Downtown Plan, recommending options of "reconceiving the property."
One option is to keep the first floor as retail space and change the above floors to offices. The second is to turn the mall into an outdoor style shopping center.
The third recommendation is to demolish and replace MacArthur with an "urban district with a street pattern that opens up to Bank and Court Streets to connect with Main Street and the Waterfront.
The spokesman said "S.L. Nusbaum Realty Company" is the new property manager at MacArthur Center. Tenants who have questions about their lease agreements are urged to contact the company.
Dryer says she also wants tenants to be part of that future discussion, which she was hoping to address during the city council meeting. However, the next one isn't scheduled until August 29.