River Ridge Mall

River Ridge Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia. Opened in 1980, the mall features JCPenney, Belk, and Regal Cinemas as its primary anchors, with Jo-Ann Fabrics, T.J. Maxx, and Planet Fitness serving as secondary anchors. Three restaurant outparcels include Red Lobster, Taco Bell, and a local restaurant named Shakers, with a fourth outparcel being Salem, Virginia based Kemba Roanoke Federal Credit Union. A Residence Inn by Marriott is the mall's first on-site hotel.[2]

River Ridge Mall
LocationLynchburg, Virginia, United States
Coordinates37.3652°N 79.1785°W / 37.3652; -79.1785
Opening date1980
DeveloperFaison
ManagementCBRE Group
OwnerLiberty University
No. of stores and services67
No. of anchor tenants5 (3 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area423,132 square feet (39,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors1 (2 in Belk and former Macy's)

The mall is majority-owned by Liberty University and managed by CBRE Group. There is one vacant anchor building, formerly occupied by Macy's which closed in 2017, and an additional anchor building, formerly occupied by Sears that is currently serving as a call center for Liberty University Online and not presently operating as an anchor tenant. The leasing agent has since changed to the Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) group.

History

River Ridge Mall opened in 1980 with Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers. Sears and Leggett (now Belk) opened in 1981. JCPenney opened in 1983. Miller & Rhoads closed and became Montgomery Ward in 1990,[3] which closed in 1997 and became Value City in 1999. In 1992, the Thalhimer's store was converted to Hecht's,[4] which in turn became Macy's in 2006. CBL & Associates Properties acquired the mall from Faison in 2003.[5]

Value City closed in 2008 and was demolished for a new movie theater.[6] As a result, the existing theater complex became a Planet Fitness.[7] Jo-Ann Fabrics opened at the mall in November 2012, followed by TJ Maxx in April 2013.[8] Also in 2013, the Sears store closed. It was purchased by Liberty University, who planned to convert to a civic center, but engineers found the site unsuitable.[9] On March 18, 2016 it was announced that Liberty University had purchased a 75% ownership position in the mall.[10]

In February 2016, it was announced that Marriott was building a Residence Inn on the spot the former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto building which had been vacant for some time. This will be the first hotel constructed at the mall property, and will be one of only 4 outparcels at the mall.[2]

On January 4, 2017, Macy's announced the River Ridge location would be one of 100 underperforming stores it would be closing.[11] Liberty University, majority owner of the mall, announced they would purchase the Macy's building and have been in talks with a new unnamed tenant for the property, pending closure on the agreement. In the same statement, Liberty chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., confirmed that the former Sears building would be demolished and replaced with an outdoor shopping experience.[12] Both the new tenant for the former Macy's location and construction on the former Sears property are part of the University's overall plans for redevelopment of the shopping center.

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References
  1. "Mall information". CBL & Associates Properties. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. Ruiter, Jason. "New Residence Inn coming to Wards Road in Lynchburg". The News and Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia. 2016 Feb 11. http://www.newsadvance.com/work_it_lynchburg/news/new-residence-inn-coming-to-wards-road-in-lynchburg/article_783a36f0-d104-11e5-8f5a-5ff6a883b5a9.html
  3. "Summer opening by Ward stores likely". Roanoke Times. 23 February 1990. p. A9. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  4. "What's ahead for Hecht's". Roanoke Times. 5 January 1992. pp. E–1. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  5. "No title". Chain Store Age. 79 (7–13). 2003.
  6. "River Ridge Mall getting new movie theater". WSLS. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  7. Davison, Craig (2 January 2012). "Gym at River Ridge mall hopes to appeal to general public". WSLS. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  8. Kennedy, Eleanor (12 April 2013). "TJ Maxx opens in River Ridge Mall". Work It Lynchburg. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. "UPDATE: Liberty University offers new proposal for civic center in Lynchburg". WDBJ. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  10. "Lynchburg, Va. Mall Changes Owner for Well Over $33M".
  11. "Macy's in River Ridge Mall to close by the end of the year". WSET.com. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  12. "Lynchburg Macy's to close, former Sears building to be replaced with outdoor shopping area". The News and Advance. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
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