Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Alabama

Southgate Mall (Muscle Shoals)

Imported, unreviewedReinhabitedPartly retrofittedMuscle Shoals, AL

Opened 1968. Partial Reinhabited in 2005.

Status nowPartly retrofittedextracted, unreviewed
documented
Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall.

en.wikipedia.org

What it becameretailextracted, unreviewed reported
Retrofit year2005extracted, unreviewed reported
Walkability11.3 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNoOpenStreetMap, HUD
Ask who owns this Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this record

Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.

Southgate Mall
Southgate Mall. Photo: Windyshadow32, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile8 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 2 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High earthquake riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High natural hazard risk (FEMA NRI)This site: Relatively High; tornado, earthquake, strong wind, cold wave, lightning fema-nri · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
Tract house prices doubled in 10 yearsThis site: +112% fhfa · all sites with this
Strategy
ReinhabitedThis site: Southgate Mall is open-air shopping center (formerly an enclosed shopping mall) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. extraction · all sites with this
New use
Retail (continued)This site: Southgate Mall is open-air shopping center (formerly an enclosed shopping mall) in Muscle Shoal extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusPartly retrofittedextracted, unreviewed
documented
Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall.

en.wikipedia.org

StrategyPartial Reinhabitedextracted, unreviewed
documented
Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall.

en.wikipedia.org

New usesretailextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there nowSouthgate Mall is open-air shopping center (formerly an enclosed shopping mall) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.extracted, unreviewed
documented
Southgate Mall is open-air shopping center (formerly an enclosed shopping mall) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

en.wikipedia.org

Retrofit year2005extracted, unreviewed reported

Site context

FEMA flood zoneX · 0.2 PCT ANNUAL CHANCE FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m7: ADVANCE AUTO PARTS #9460; AVALON AVENUE WIDENING (S. MONTGOMERY AVE. TO COX BLVD.); CVS PHARMACY #4901; LISTERHILL/WOODWARD & AVALON; LOGAN'S ROADHOUSEEPA FRS
Census tract 010330207044,317 people, 1,539 per sq mi; median household income $60,821; median gross rent $1,136; 16% renters; 9.0% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 11.3 of 20; 115 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.8; 15,580 jobs within 45 min by car; 7% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 2 grocers, 2 schools, 3 parks or playgrounds, 5 health, 1 civic, 22 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 2 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
Housing permits, Colbert County (AL), 20240 units in 5+ unit buildings, 0 in 2–4, 94 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.29; socioeconomic 0.38; housing and transport 0.25; 9% below 150% of poverty; 5% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Jessop's Riverside (2.8 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 27,743 m², 4.809327602386475 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views14,557 since 2015; 1,058 in the last 12 months (-28% vs the prior 12); peak 2024-05 with 341Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -1% (4,360 → 4,317); median income +27% ($47,990 → $60,821); renters 22% → 16%; median home value +56% ($109,400 → $170,900)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively high overall (score 85.2); expected annual loss $3.4M; high: tornado, earthquake, strong wind, cold wave, lightning; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 kmnoneHUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)3,332 jobs in 254 establishments; average annual pay $41,787; employment location quotient 1.36; employment +3.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20224,060 jobs; 1,222 in retail trade, 565 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 01033020704)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 39th income percentile as adults; 0.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (378 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 2% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 8.7%; median family income $61,750; 153 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsMuscle Shoals City School District (PK-12); 1 public school within 1 mile: Highland Park Elementary SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation498 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025718 county-logged events: 606 thunderstorm wind, 56 flash flood, 20 hail, 16 tornado; $19,315,100 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 35661, 2026-09median list price $299,225 (-6.8% on the year); 118 active listings; median 53 days on market; 33% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023237 establishments (+4%); 2,836 jobs (-3%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $196,003 (+2% 1 yr, +24% 5 yr); typical rent $949/mo (+1% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025355 (2000 = 100); +14.9% 1 yr, +80% 5 yr, +112% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)28,839 vehicles a day on N Jackson Hwy (principal arterial, 6 lanes); 2,019 trucks; 28 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Opened in 1968 as an enclosed mall, Southgate Mall saw anchor losses including Woolco (1983) and Walmart (1995). Around 2005 the interior was closed and retailers moved outside, converting it to an open‑air center with current anchors such as Tractor Supply, Walgreens, and Hibbett Sports.

Why. The primary drivers were the loss of key anchors (Woolco, Walmart) and the development of a competing free‑standing Walmart nearby, which reduced mall traffic.

Where it stands. The mall is currently in a partial, open‑air status as of the 2005 retrofit, though the record does not specify the present owner or controlling entity.

For a planner

  • Reinhabit strategy applied in 2005 to convert enclosed mall to open‑air format.
  • Policy tools not detailed in record; likely involved local zoning or adaptive reuse incentives.
  • Open questions include long‑term viability of the vacant former Rogers anchor and potential for further mixed‑use redevelopment.

For a developer

  • Site size and parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
  • Ownership and control are unspecified, affecting ability to assemble or negotiate.
  • Entitlement stage, floodplain, transit access, and environmental constraints are not described.
  • Market signals from surrounding tract data (e.g., population growth 5.8% 2018‑23) suggest modest demand but are not linked to specific site metrics.

What we do not know yet

  • Owner identity and current control are missing from the record.
  • Exact site acreage, parcel configuration, and building footprint are not stated.
  • Zoning designation, entitlement approvals, and any pending permits are unknown.
  • Context‑layer risks such as flood hazard, proximity to transit, and environmental constraints are not documented.
  • Data verification status is 'draft', indicating some fields may be model‑extracted and unreviewed.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Montgomery Mall, Montgomery, AL · Malls · opened 1970; same strategy: reinhabit; also in AL
  • Highland Mall, Austin, TX · Malls · opened 1971; same strategy: reinhabit
  • Chapel Square Mall, New Haven, CT · Malls · opened 1967; same strategy: reinhabit
  • Midtown Plaza, Rochester, NY · Malls · opened 1962; same strategy: reinhabit

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county grew 5.8% 2018–23

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1968Wikidata
AnchorsWalgreens, Burke's Outlet, Tractor Supply Company, Genesis Jewelry, Pet Supplies Plus, Hibbett Sports
CountyColbert County
Census division6 · East South Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Southgate Mall is open-air shopping center in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall. Opened in 1968, the anchor stores are Tractor Supply Company, Walgreens, Genesis Jewelry, Pet Supplies Plus, Hibbett Sports, and Burke's Outlet. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Rogers. Walmart was a tenant of the mall at one point, but now has its own free-standing store next to the mall.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1968 Opened (Wikidata)
  2. 1968 Mall opened
  3. 1983 Woolco closed; space sold to Walmart
  4. 1989 Mall renovations announced including Rogers expansion and Hibbett Sports and Bookland opening
  5. 1995 Walmart closed its store in favor of a supercenter elsewhere
  6. 1996 Rogers acquired by Dunlaps chain
  7. 2001 Convergys purchased former Walmart
  8. 2005 Inside of mall closed; businesses moved outside
  9. 2006 Burke's Outlet opened
  10. 2007 Rogers closed

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Southgate Mall (Muscle Shoals) · supports: after notes, status, strategy
    12 quoted sentences
    Southgate Mall is open-air shopping center (formerly an enclosed shopping mall) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
    Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall.
    Around 2005 the inside of the mall closed and the businesses that remained moved to the outside of the mall.
    Opened in 1968, the anchor stores are Tractor Supply Company, Walgreens, Genesis Jewelry, Pet Supplies Plus, Hibbett Sports, and Burke's Outlet.

More in Alabama

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