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Court Orders Ford City Mall to Close Monday

City officials say chronic flooding and a failed fire-suppression system created structural dangers that prompted the emergency court action.

Overview

  • A judge last month granted the city’s emergency motion and ordered the bulk of the indoor Ford City Mall to shutter at noon on Monday, forcing remaining in-mall tenants to vacate.
  • JCPenney, the mall’s last anchor inside the main building, will close its Ford City location on Sunday as operations wind down.
  • Officials and court records say the mall has repeated basement flooding, leaking pipes and a nonworking fire suppression system, and the owner was ordered to maintain that system until further court direction.
  • Retail businesses located outside the main enclosed mall and the on-site movie theater will remain open, limiting the immediate effects to the central indoor complex.
  • Ald. Derrick Curtis is meeting with city officials and potential buyers about a redevelopment plan he estimates at more than $200 million that aims to bring jobs and new public space, while Namdar Realty Group has not publicly responded to requests for comment.