City of Southfield buys Northland Center mall. Plans to demolish, sell property
SOUTHFIELD - It was a shopping destination for Metro Detroit and surrounding areas but Northland mall is empty and will soon be demolished to make way for new developments.
The City of Southfield announced Wednesday that it had purchased the mall at Eight Mile and the Lodge for $2.4 million. It also announced it plans to demolish and sell the property to a qualified developer.
"The city of Southfield purchased the 114 acre property to protect, maintain, and ultimately increase the property values for Southfield's home and business owners. The city does NOT intend to develop or own the property, we plan to demolish it and clean it up so it can be sold to a qualified property developer who will build a new, revitalized mixed-use development containing office, retail, and residential space on the site," Southfield Mayor Donald Fracassi said in a press release. "We bought it because we did not want Northland Center to become a vacant shopping center significantly blighting the community. The Northland name is synonymous with Southfield and it's important that we find the finest development possible for this site."
The mall currently has a $31 million mortgage lien that is being relinquished with the city's purchase. The city said it plans to spend an additional $8-$10 million on demolition and remediation of the property.
Northland Center opened in March 1954. In February, a judge ordered the mall to close after the two remaining anchors, Target and Macy's, pulled out.
The city said in the press release that the purchase and demolition will not cost taxpayers anything extra.
It's expected to take about a year for a demolition company to be brought in to demolish and clean up the area.