Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Iowa

Midlands Mall

From the authors' mapReinhabitedRetrofit builtCouncil Bluffs, IA

Opened 1986. Closed 2019. Reinhabited in 1994.

Status nowRetrofit builtderived from authors' map (retrofit year present) reported
What it becameretailextracted, unreviewed reported
Retrofit year1994authors' map reported
Walkability12.5 of 20 · 15-minute 5 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNo · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
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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.

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Site profile20 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
Dillard'sThis site: Dillard's wikipedia · all sites with this
J. C. PenneyThis site: J. C. Penney wikipedia · all sites with this
JCPenneyThis site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 9 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 20 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -18% census-cbp · all sites with this
FEMA special flood hazard areaThis site: AE fema-nfhl · all sites with this
High social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)This site: 0.81 cdc-svi · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
Lower-income tract (< $50k)This site: $22,600 census-acs · all sites with this
National Register place within 500 mThis site: State Savings Bank; Cavin, Thomas E., House nps-nrhp · all sites with this
Opportunity ZoneThis site: 19155030900 hud-oz · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 92% census-acs · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -0.1% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 12.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
ReinhabitedThis site: Reinhabitation: office record · all sites with this
New use
OfficeThis site: Reinhabitation: office extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

From the authors' map

IA, Council Bluffs: Midlands Mall/Omni Business Centre, 1994
• Reinhabitation: office

Now

StatusRetrofit builtderived from authors' map (retrofit year present) reported
StrategyReinhabitedauthors' map reported
New usesretailextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there nowReinhabitation: officeauthors' map reported
Retrofit year1994authors' map reported
RedeveloperMenardsextracted, unreviewed reported

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2019Sold—Menards ← Namdar Realty GroupWikipedia
2013Sold—Namdar Realty Group ← General Growth PropertiesWikipedia

Site context

FEMA flood zoneAE · special flood hazard areaFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m7: BALLENGER AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE; BROWNIES BODY SHOP - FORMER SITE OF; CENTURYLINK - COUNCIL BLUFFS; COUNCIL BLUFFS CITY OF STP; CVS PHARMACY 4816EPA FRS
Census tract 191550309001,508 people, 4,837 per sq mi; median household income $22,600; median gross rent $726; 92% renters; 8.8% vacant units; 8.4% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 12.5 of 20; 167 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.73; 62,282 jobs within 45 min by car; 36% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)5 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 4 schools, 16 parks or playgrounds, 3 health, 20 civic, 7 food and drink; 20 cycleway segments, 168 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zoneyes, tract 19155030900 (rural)HUD
National Register places within 500 m9: State Savings Bank; Cavin, Thomas E., House; Tulleys, Lysander, House; St. Peter's Church and RectoryNPS
Housing permits, Pottawattamie County (IA), 2024566 units in 5+ unit buildings, 10 in 2–4, 105 single-family; 2023: 43 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.81; socioeconomic 0.84; housing and transport 0.72; 58% below 150% of poverty; 34% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby9 within 10 km, 14 within 25 km: Mall of the Bluffs (2.8 km); Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center (6.7 km); Nash Block (6.7 km); Burlington Headquarters Building (6.8 km); Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District (6.9 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 29,905 m², 8.89290714263916 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views16,420 since 2015; 2,010 in the last 12 months (-10% vs the prior 12); peak 2020-12 with 584Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -17% (1,812 → 1,508); median income +24% ($18,160 → $22,600); renters 88% → 92%; median home value +3% ($101,400 → $104,300)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively moderate overall (score 64.8); expected annual loss $1.3M; high: tornado, hail, strong wind; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km5 LIHTC properties, 107 units: Bluffs Towers Apartments (70 units); Bennett Building (30 units); 1279 Park Ave (5 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)5,398 jobs in 248 establishments; average annual pay $35,591; employment location quotient 1.31; employment -1.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20224,160 jobs; 131 in retail trade, 205 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 19155030900)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 40th income percentile as adults; 1.6% incarcerated at the 2010 count (306 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; poverty rate 32.8%; median family income $26,450; 344 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsCouncil Bluffs Community School District (PK-12); 3 public schools within 1 mile: Bloomer Elementary School; Hoover Elementary School; Anne E. Nelson Early Learning CenterNCES EDGE
Elevation1,016 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025163 county-logged events: 68 hail, 57 thunderstorm wind, 17 tornado, 10 flash flood; $625,000 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 51503, 2026-09median list price $316,250 (+10.4% on the year); 91 active listings; median 32 days on market; 22% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023255 establishments (-18%); 6,148 jobs (+2%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $240,980 (+3% 1 yr, +30% 5 yr); typical rent $1,327/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)17,000 vehicles a day on KANESVILLE BOULEVARD, E (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 384 trucks; 21 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Similar sites

  • Westside Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA · Malls · opened 1985; closed 2018; same strategy: reinhabit
  • Arsenal Mall, Watertown, MA · Malls · opened 1983; same strategy: reinhabit
  • Oak Hollow Mall, High Point, NC · Malls · closed 2017; same strategy: reinhabit
  • South Roads Mall, Bellevue, NE · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; 11 km away

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built

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

Now called / also known asOmni Business Centre
Opened1986extracted, unreviewed
Closed2019extracted, unreviewed
documented
The mall closed on December 30, 2019, and demolition began one year later.

en.wikipedia.org

Original developerGeneral Growth Propertiesextracted, unreviewed
documented
Developed by General Growth Properties.

en.wikipedia.org

AnchorsDillard's, JCPenney, Sears, Target, J. C. Penney
CountyPottawattamie County
Census division4 · West North Central

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

Background

Mall of the Bluffs was a shopping mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Built in 1986, the mall featured J. C. Penney, Dillard's, Sears, and Target as its anchor stores at its peak. After both JCPenney and Target moved to other developments in Council Bluffs, it began a sharp decline in tenancy throughout the 2010s. The mall closed on December 30, 2019, and demolition began one year later.

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

Timeline

  1. 1986 Mall opened
  2. 1988 Dillard's expansion
  3. 1994 Retrofit: reinhabit
  4. 1998 Sears expansion
  5. 2008 J. C. Penney moved
  6. 2009 Target moved
  7. 2011 Barnes & Noble closed
  8. 2012 Sears closed
  9. 2013 Sold to Namdar Realty Group
  10. 2019 Mall closed
  11. 2023 Menards opened

Sources

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