# North DeKalb Mall

Decatur, GA · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-ee13d5bf7a` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ga/decatur-north-dekalb-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-ee13d5bf7a.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-ee13d5bf7a.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-ee13d5bf7a

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | demolished | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | reported · public sources |
| New use | mixed | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | mixed-use: retail, ~1,800 homes, Publix | reported · public sources |
| Opened | 1965 | reported · Wikidata |
| Closed | 2020 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2023 | reported · public sources |
| Acres | 73.11 | reported · research |
| GLA (sq ft) | 635000 | reported · research |
| Original developer | Scott Development | reported · research |
| Redeveloper | EDENS; Crescent Communities | reported · public sources |
| Owner of record | Ndm Edens LLC | reported · public sources |
| Zoning change | C-1 (Local Commercial) → MU-4 (Mixed Use High Density) (rezoning to MU-4 with a Master Development Plan) | documented · research |
| Public subsidy | Market Square Tax Allocation District approved unanimously in 2022; amount not found. Edens paid $43M for the site in Sept 2021. | reported · research |
| Entitlement year | 2022 | reported · research |
| Planning notes | Approved by DeKalb County Board of Commissioners (unanimous). Master Development Plan, NDM (Edens), Z-24-1247113 staff report https://dekalbcountyga.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/N4-2024-0900%20NDM%20%28EDENS%29%20Dennis%20J.%20Webb%20Z-24-1247113.pdf | reported · research |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “As of October 1, 2020, North DeKalb Mall had officially closed due to poor sales and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall
- **status**: “The rest of the mall was demolished in the summer of 2024 and is being replaced with a mixed-use development called Lulah Hills.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall
- **zoning_change**: “Edens says it received unanimous approval on the landmark rezoning from the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in Summer 2022.” — https://dekalbcountyga.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/N4-2024-0900%20NDM%20%28EDENS%29%20Dennis%20J.%20Webb%20Z-24-1247113.pdf

## Anchors

Phar-Mor, Lechmere, Rhodes Furniture, Marshalls, Mervyn's, Woolworth, Rich's, Uptons, AMC movie theater

## Parties

- EDENS — developer (2023–)
- Crescent Communities — developer (2023–)
- Hendon Properties — owner (from text) (2003–2014)
- Lennar in partnership with Sterling Organization — owner (from text) (2014–2019)
- Edens — owner (from text) (2019–)

## Timeline

- 1965: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1965: Opened with fifty-four stores; original anchors Rich's and Woolworth.
- 1986: Expanded with anchors Mervyn's and Lechmere; renamed Market Square at North DeKalb.
- 1997: Mervyns closed; store replaced by Uptons then Burlington.
- 2014: Lennar and Sterling Organization purchased mall for undisclosed amount, planning open-air conversion.
- 2016: Macy's anchor closed.
- 2019: Property sold to Edens for planned mixed-use development.
- 2020: Mall officially closed due to poor sales and COVID-19; Marshalls and AMC remain open.
- 2021: Used for filming of A Loud House Christmas.
- 2022: Local journalists obtained preliminary site plans via public records request.
- 2023: Retrofit: redevelop
- 2024: Demolition began; site being redeveloped as Lulah Hills.

## Deals and debt

- 2019 sale:  Edens   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall
- 2014 sale:  Lennar in partnership with Sterling Organization   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall
- 2003 sale: 25000000.0 Hendon Properties   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

North DeKalb Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located in unincorporated DeKalb County, near Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1965, the center currently comprises more than eighty-five stores on one level. The sole remaining anchor store is Marshalls. That store and an AMC multiplex theater still remain. The rest of the mall was demolished in the summer of 2024 and is being replaced with a mixed-use development called Lulah Hills.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_DeKalb_Mall
- Quoted support for zoning_change — https://dekalbcountyga.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/N4-2024-0900%20NDM%20%28EDENS%29%20Dennis%20J.%20Webb%20Z-24-1247113.pdf
- Planning research source — https://edens.com/canvas/lulah-hills-atlanta-georgia/
- ajc-ajc-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com — https://ajc-ajc-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/business/2025/12/first-apartments-join-lulah-hills-the-850m-redo-of-north-dekalb-mall (2025-12)
- www.crescentcommunities.com — https://www.crescentcommunities.com/media/press/crescent-communities-closes-on-novel-lulah-hills-in-decatur/ (2025-12)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "North DeKalb Mall, Decatur, GA." Record m-ee13d5bf7a, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ga/decatur-north-dekalb-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_decaturnorthdekalbmall,
  title = {North DeKalb Mall, Decatur, GA},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ga/decatur-north-dekalb-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-ee13d5bf7a, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.