End of an era: Demolition begins at Richland Mall as redevelopment plans move ahead
On a bright Wednesday morning in Forest Acres, as public officials, members of the media and residents from nearby neighborhoods looked on, heavy equipment lurched toward the Richland Mall and smashed away an entrance to the hulking structure, sending glass and metal cascading to the ground below.
And with that, one era of the retail scene at the corner of Forest Drive and North Beltline Boulevard came to an end, beginning to give way to a rebirth set to come.
Demolition work formally began Wednesday at Richland Mall, as workers kicked off what will be a year-long process to tear down and clear off the more than 900,000-square-foot structure. Originally conceived in the 1960s as an open-air shopping center and converted in the 1980s to a traditional indoor mall, Richland Mall had, in recent years, struggled mightily to hold on to major national tenants. Its last occupant was Barnes & Noble bookstore, which closed in December and moved to Garners Ferry Road.
Now, Augusta development company Southeastern will look to overhaul the 32-acre property over the next several years with a more than $100 million plan that is set to include a 100,000-square-foot grocery store, more than 500 apartments, a public park, a brewery or taproom and more. Specific retailers that could be a part of the redeveloped site have not yet been announced.
Forest Acres Mayor Thomas Andrews was among those gathered for Wednesday’s start of demolition. He was pleased to see the latest step in what could be a transformational project for the small city just east of downtown Columbia.
“To see something begin to happen is fantastic, and (the coming redevelopment) is going to be a driver for us,” Andrews told The State. “And it’s really more that that. It also has more to do with who we are as a community and our vibrancy. So, to take a space that once was active and filled with people visiting, and then for it to go into neglect, to know that we are now going to bring people back into the community and offer a space for gatherings, especially with a portion as a park, it’s just good for the community and who we are.”
Former longtime Forest Acres Mayor Frank Brunson spent years working toward securing a revitalization at the mall site. He urged patience as the mall building will be demolished in the next year, then the site brought back to life in the years after that.
“It will take some time,” Brunson said. “People need to be patient about it. I know they are excited about the fact that something is going to happen.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 12:52 PM.
