CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – The future of Chesterfield Mall as it currently stands becomes a little more clear this year.
All tenant leases will come to an end on August 31, setting up the mall to permanently close this summer. There are also plans for demolition and redevelopment around the mall after the tenant leases end.
The Staenberg Group currently owns the rights to the mall. Tim Lowe, senior vice president of leasing and development for The Staenberg Group, confirmed the final lease dates and plans to transform the mall grounds over the next several years.
“As part of a normal process, theoretically, people start vacating, and the mall will be empty by the end of August, and we’ll be able to tear it down and start construction,” said Lowe in a phone call with FOX 2.
Chesterfield Mall opened in 1976 at Clarkson Road, just south of Interstate 64. It’s lasted longer than several traditional shopping malls around the St. Louis area, but with consumer preferences changing and visitors declining, plans to revitalize the grounds have been in the works for several years.
Current plans call for a mixed-use development that would consist of apartment units, several businesses, office spaces, and more. Lowe says the first phases of development could be complete by 2027. The entire project would consist of roughly 5 billion square feet of development.
Lowe adds that Dillard’s will stay and operate as part of the new development. Organizers also plan to repurpose a building that formerly occupied Macy’s. Initial construction phases could start around 2025.
The building that formerly held Sears as an anchor and the rest of the mall are set to be demolished, a process that could begin days or weeks after all tenants leave. The Chesterfield City Council initially approved such plans last September. Lowe has indicated that “nothing has changed” since the city council’s decision in terms of the future of the mall grounds.
In anticipation of new development, the mall has hosted a few liquidation sales over the past year. For now, a few anchors and junior anchors remain open, and some groups get to enjoy pickleball indoors.
