CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The future of the Charleston Town Center mall could be changing again.
Several media outlets reported late Monday afternoon that the indoor space of the mall will close next year. The property has been owned by Hull Group since 2021.
This came after Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin’s appearance on “580 Live” with Dave Allen Monday morning. She confirmed that there were people making a local effort to purchase it.
“Now, it is time to refresh and move forward, and it is my direct knowledge that there are people who are looking at and building plans to possibly buy the mall,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin announced the city’s intentions to acquire the property and redevelop it as a mixed-use space during her state of the city address earlier this year. Those plans are no longer moving forward.
She believes if the city cannot take over the mall, selling it to new buyers is necessary.
“If we cannot take this as a donation to put it in the hands of developers to move forward, then we want to see it sold. We want to see it put in the hands of folks who want to do something with it,” Goodwin said.
Hull Group leadership told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that they don’t plan to sell the mall property.
“We’re going to do what’s best for the property and we’re gonna do what’s best for Charleston,” Hull Group Senior Vice President of Government Relations John Mulherin told the Gazette-Mail. “We have not been presented with anything that would rise to us being excited for a sale or development opportunity.”
The current mall building’s future is unclear, according to Goodwin, who could not confirm if the space would remain a mall under new ownership. She said regardless of the plan, something needs to be done.
“We have been talking for years with the Hull Group and really trying to secure it as a donation or put it in the hands of a developer or a buyer,” Goodwin said.
The mall property remains a key piece of a growing section of downtown Charleston that includes the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, as well as new homes for TC Energy and Poca Valley. Goodwin wants any new development to contribute to that growth.
“That would be the very best thing for the people in the city of Charleston because we’re talking about infrastructure, right? It’s a huge piece of infrastructure,” she said.