The Mall at Stonecrest (often Stonecrest Mall) is a super-regional shopping mall in the soon to be incorporated City of Stonecrest, Georgia along Interstate 20 in eastern metro Atlanta. The Mall of Stonecrest is off exit 75 on Interstate 20
The Mall at Stonecrest opened in October 2001 as part of a master-planned community on the growing I-20 corridor.
The mall has four anchors: Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears, with Von Maur opening in fall 2019. Also attached to the mall on the second floor is an AMC Theatres movie theater located in the outdoor plaza near the pavilion food court. Across from the AMC Theatres on the opposite side of the plaza is Round One Entertainment. Surrounding the mall area there are also many other stores and restaurants. This successful mall carries many of the popular national retail stores, and is opening new restaurants in its plaza area in 2014. Apartments and condos are also popping up in the area, making Stonecrest a mixed-use community.
The mall serves a diverse clientele including blacks and Hispanics, and provides, for example, both black and white Santas in the period running up to Christmas.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
This mall was envisioned and planned over 30 years ago. Original opening dates as reported by the AJC included dates in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The mall had names like Turner Hill Mall, Interstate East Mall or Metro East. Each time, there were proposed dates that ended up falling through due to various issues among various developers. One land developer had an issue in the early days of getting retailers to commit (at the time South Dekalb Mall was still thriving). A few times the land was cleared of forest to make way for the mall and then things fell through. Local residents often questioned if the mall was even going to happen. Other things were envisioned for the area as planned by Dekalb County planners to include a convention center, outdoor theatre, mid-rise to high-rise apartment units, MARTA rail station (proposed terminus for the east line), satellite college campus and more. While the county did construct a library (Stonecrest Library), MARTA is currently reviewing plans of the east line rail extension to the mall with a proposed new sales tax, and economic development officials are studying to see if a convention center for the area is still viable. The goal would be to attract private investment with incentives rather than public dollars to build such.
In 2014, the city of Lithonia devised a plan to annex the mall and surrounding business district including Lithonia Industrial Boulevard into the city. The plan was developed in response to the proposed city of Stonecrest, Georgia that envisioned the mall serving as the "downtown" for the city. No property owners expressed interest in annexation despite having a Lithonia mailing address. The cityhood bill went through various legislative hurdles at the Georgia General Assembly and saw a public referendum in November 2016, being approved by 59%, with elections and official municipal incorporation in spring 2017.
The mall and business corridor were previously served by the South Dekalb Business Association. In 2008, the Stoncrest Business Alliance was formed to focus on the corridor. Also, the corridor is part of the new East Metro Community Improvement District, which is also going to bring public sector enhancements to the corridor. Prior to that, in 2006, the mall was included in the designation of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. The mall is accessible via the Arabia Mountain PATH, which runs throughout the 40,000-acre (160 km2) area. Stonecrest Mall is one example of how businesses and residences can be included in a national heritage area unlike a national park. On March 4, 2017, the mall has opened Round One Entertainment, a bowling and amusement center featuring the latest Japanese arcade games, billiards, karaoke, ping pong, darts, and a restaurant with a full service bar. Fast fashion retailer H&M opened on March 16, 2017.
Notable News Headlines Involving the Mall
In May 2009, the management instituted its Parental Involvement Program (derisively known in the community as the "anti-teenager policy"), whereby anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult after a 4pm "curfew" on weekends, or be forced to leave by mall security. This was in response to several notable incidences of violence and mayhem perpetrated primarily by teenagers.
In April 2010, an argument over a parking space led to a stabbing and a shooting. MARTA provides bus service to the Mall at Stonecrest.
In December 2011, police had to quell a disturbance at the mall on the day of the release of a new Air Jordan limited edition shoe. The mall was to open at 8 AM but at about 7 AM already 200 people were waiting outside. The mall door was pried open and the crowd rushed inside to the door of the store selling the shoes.
In January 2013, it was reported that that mall was "beset by debt issues that could leave it vulnerable to foreclosure".
On March 16, 2016, Kohl's announced that their location at The Mall at Stonecrest would close on November 1, 2016. In August 2017, Von Maur will announce to refurbish the vacant building and extend it from 87,000 square feet to 140,000 square feet as its fourth Georgia store (after North Point Mall, Perimeter Mall, and Mall of Georgia).
The mall is referenced in a season one episode of the FX TV series Atlanta.
Anchors
Current Anchors
- Dillard's (opened 2001)
- JCPenney (opened 2001)
- Macy's (opened 2005, former Rich's location)
- Sears (opened 2001)
Future Anchor
- Von Maur (opening 2019, former Kohl's and Parisian location)
Former Anchors
- Parisian (opened 2001, closed 2007, became Kohl's in 2008 and will be remodeled as Von Maur in 2019.
- Rich's (opened 2001, rebranded as Macy's in 2005)
- Kohl's (opened 2008 in former Parisian and closed 2016, Left Vacant and will be converted to Von Maur in 2019.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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