Malls · Michigan
North Kent Mall
Opened 1970. Closed 2000. Redeveloped in 2000.
Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
What it becameretailextracted, unreviewed reported
Site size70 acresextracted, unreviewed
documented
Construction of North Kent Mall required clearing of 70 acres (28 ha) of land
Retrofit year2000extracted, unreviewed reported
Walkability7.5 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 recordhttps://retrofitatlas.org/malls/mi/northview-north-kent-mall/
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.
Site profile10 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Former anchors
Kmart
This site: Kmart wikipedia · all sites with thisMontgomery Ward
This site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with thisPlace
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisLow social vulnerability tract (SVI ≤ 0.25)
This site: 0.20 cdc-svi · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +121% fhfa · all sites with thisScale
60+ acre site
This site: 70 acres extraction · all sites with thisStrategy
Redeveloped
This site: The former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage. extraction · all sites with thisNew use
Retail (continued)
This site: The former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Far extraction · all sites with thisSelf-storage
This site: …nham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage. extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedthe mall was demolished in 2000 except for Kmart and Montgomery Ward, which closed during the mall's demolition and replacement with a Lowe's home improvement store. |
| New uses | retailextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | The former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage.extracted, unreviewed documentedThe former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage. |
| Retrofit year | 2000extracted, unreviewed reported |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Sold | — | Ramco-Gershenson Properties ← Forbes-Cohen | Wikipedia |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | no rail stationOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 13: FOX PLAINFIELD LLC; FOX PLAINFIELD LLC; HENLEY BLUEWATER LLC; KMART CORPORATION; LOWE'S HOME CENTERS LLCEPA FRS |
| Census tract 26081011301 | 4,403 people, 2,024 per sq mi; median household income $76,193; median gross rent $1,544; 12% renters; 1.3% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 7.5 of 20; 44 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.76; 64,329 jobs within 45 min by car; 3% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 6 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 2 schools, 9 parks or playgrounds, 3 health, 4 civic, 2 food and drink; 6 cycleway segments, 41 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Kent County (MI), 2024 | 904 units in 5+ unit buildings, 45 in 2–4, 1,141 single-family; 2023: 604 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.20; socioeconomic 0.33; housing and transport 0.17; 14% below 150% of poverty; 1% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 5 within 25 km: Keen Studios (9.8 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 10,206 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 7,324 since 2015; 1,639 in the last 12 months; peak 2025-03 with 4,322Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -6% (4,694 → 4,403); median income +40% ($54,344 → $76,193); renters 15% → 12%; median home value +70% ($145,500 → $247,700)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively low overall (score 29.3); expected annual loss $1.6M; community resilience very highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 36,743 jobs in 1,953 establishments; average annual pay $44,727; employment location quotient 0.89; employment +5.2% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2021 | 2,154 jobs; 481 in retail trade, 404 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 26081011301)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2021 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 47th income percentile as adults; 0.9% incarcerated at the 2010 count (251 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-access at 1 mile, not low-income; 23% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 6.9%; median family income $78,551; 129 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Northview Public School District (PK-12); 6 public schools within 1 mile: East Oakview Elementary School; North Oakview Elementary School; Northview High School; Crossroads Middle SchoolNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 746 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 84 county-logged events: 59 thunderstorm wind, 12 tornado, 11 hail, 2 flood; $35,825,000 property damage reported; 4 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 49525, 2026-09 | median list price $518,250 (+23.1% on the year); 62 active listings; median 45 days on market; 17% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 2,162 establishments (+2%); 36,941 jobs (+16%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $353,407 (+4% 1 yr, +29% 5 yr); typical rent $1,602/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 471 (2000 = 100); +4.1% 1 yr, +59% 5 yr, +121% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 24,548 vehicles a day on Plainfield Ave NE (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 662 trucks; 30 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Opened in 1970 with Wurzburg's and Montgomery Ward as anchor stores; Wurzburg's closed in 1973, reopened in 1974, and was replaced by Kmart in 1978. After a period of decline and a 1992 bankruptcy filing, the mall was demolished in 2000 and the site redeveloped into a power center anchored by Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage.
Why. The record shows anchor store closures (Wurzburg's 1973, Montgomery Ward during demolition) and a 1992 bankruptcy filing as factors leading to the mall's decline and eventual demolition.
Where it stands. The site is currently demolished and occupied by a power center retail development owned and managed by Lormax Stern.
For a planner
- Precedent: demolition of an enclosed mall followed by power‑center retail redevelopment.
- No specific policy tools or incentives are mentioned in the record.
- Open questions: long‑term viability of the power‑center layout, traffic impacts, and any needed infrastructure upgrades.
For a developer
- Site size: 70 acres.
- Control: owned and managed by Lormax Stern.
- Entitlement stage: redevelopment already completed (retrofit year 2000, status demolished).
- Constraints from context layers (flood, transit, environment) and market signals from tract data are not stated in the record.
What we do not know yet
- Flood zone, transit access, and environmental conditions are not provided.
- Tract‑level market data (demographics, income, retail demand) are missing.
- Verification status is 'draft', indicating the record may not be fully reviewed.
- All factual fields are marked as extraction; no indication of expert review.
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
- Methuen Mall, Methuen, MA · Malls · similar size (60 acres); opened 1973; closed 1997
- Mohawk Mall, Niskayuna, NY · Malls · similar size (50 acres); opened 1970; closed 2000
- Northridge Mall, Milwaukee, WI · Malls · similar size (58 acres); opened 1973; closed 2003
- Salisbury Mall, Salisbury, MD · Malls · similar size (50 acres); opened 1968; closed 2004
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: North Kent Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and state only, check the city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- GR Retro: NORTH KENT MALL Photo Memoirs gr-retro.blogspot.com
- North Kent Mall Grand Rapids MI - WaterWinterWonderland.com - Malls an waterwinterwonderland.com
- North Kent Mall - store list, hours, (location: Grand Ra… mallsinamerica.com
- North Kent Mall - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- 70 acres
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
| Opened | 1970extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2000extracted, unreviewed |
| Acres | 70.0extracted, unreviewed documentedConstruction of North Kent Mall required clearing of 70 acres (28 ha) of land |
| Stores at peak | 65extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Original developer | Forbes-Cohenextracted, unreviewed documentedForbes-Cohen (now known as Forbes Company), a retail developer based in Detroit, Michigan, announced plans for North Kent Mall in August 1969. |
| Anchors | Kmart, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Montgomery Ward, Wurzburg's |
| County | Kent County |
| Census division | 3 · East North Central |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: GLA. Know it? Tell us.
Background
North Kent Mall was a shopping mall in Northview, Michigan just north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1970, it originally featured Wurzburg's and Montgomery Ward as its anchor stores, with the former being replaced by Kmart in 1978. After a period of decline, the mall was demolished in 2000 except for Kmart and Montgomery Ward, which closed during the mall's demolition and replacement with a Lowe's home improvement store. The former site of the mall is occupied by a power center comprising Lowe's, Dunham's Sports, Dollar Tree, Family Farm and Home, and Devon Self Storage. The property is owned and managed by Lormax Stern.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1970 Opened
- 1970 Wurzburg's opened
- 1970 Mall grand opening
- 1973 Wurzburg's closed
- 1974 Wurzburg's reopened
- 1978 Kmart opened
- 1984 Sold to Ramco-Gershenson
- 1992 Filed for bankruptcy
- 2000 Demolished
Sources
- Wikipedia: North Kent Mall · supports: acres, after notes, original developer, status, strategy, year closed, year opened
16 quoted sentences
Opened in 1970
the mall was demolished in 2000
Construction of North Kent Mall required clearing of 70 acres (28 ha) of land
Forbes-Cohen (now known as Forbes Company), a retail developer based in Detroit, Michigan, announced plans for North Kent Mall in August 1969.
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