Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Washington

South Sound Center

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedOperatingLacey, WA

Opened 1966. Redeveloped in 2000.

Status nowOperatingextracted, unreviewed
documented
Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.

en.wikipedia.org

What it becameretailextracted, unreviewed reported
Retrofit year2000extracted, unreviewed reported
Walkability13.7 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mYes · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, 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.

South Sound Center
Exterior view of a vintage street clock with lamps and plaque. · verified by a vision model. Photo: OlympiaBuebird, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile21 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
Nordstrom Place TwoThis site: Nordstrom Place Two wikipedia · all sites with this
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
WoolworthThis site: Woolworth wikipedia · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 127,496 on I-5 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 56 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,043/mo zillow · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 10 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High earthquake riskThis site: Very High fema-nri · all sites with this
High natural hazard risk (FEMA NRI)This site: Very High; earthquake fema-nri · all sites with this
High social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)This site: 0.92 cdc-svi · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: I-5 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Lower-income tract (< $50k)This site: $49,218 census-acs · all sites with this
Opportunity ZoneThis site: 53067011200 hud-oz · all sites with this
Rail within 800 mThis site: Lacey Transit Center openstreetmap · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 70% census-acs · all sites with this
Tract house prices doubled in 10 yearsThis site: +154% fhfa · all sites with this
Tract population up 25%+ since 2013This site: +34% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 13.7 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart. extraction · all sites with this
New use
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusOperatingextracted, unreviewed
documented
Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.

en.wikipedia.org

StrategyRedevelopedextracted, unreviewed
documented
After several stores in the mall moved out or were closed, the enclosed mall portion was torn down in 2000 and replaced by a Target store between Sears and Mervyns.

en.wikipedia.org

New usesretailextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there nowAround the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.extracted, unreviewed
documented
Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.

en.wikipedia.org

Retrofit year2000extracted, unreviewed reported

Site context

Transit within 800 mLacey Transit Center (rail); 8 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap
Motorway junctions within 2 km107, 108, 108B, 109OpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m16: CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT CO SLEATER KINNEY; FIRESTONE STORE NO 3961; FIRESTONE TIRE STORE; MAJ LACEY THE LANDING; MCDONALDS RESTAURANT REDEVELOPMENTEPA FRS
Census tract 530670112006,151 people, 2,351 per sq mi; median household income $49,218; median gross rent $1,564; 70% renters; 5.4% vacant units; 2.2% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 13.7 of 20; 33 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 826 m; land-use mix 0.78; 28,506 jobs within 45 min by car, 61,890 by transit; 3% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 10 grocers, 1 schools, 6 parks or playgrounds, 9 health, 2 civic, 40 food and drink; 56 cycleway segments, 177 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zoneyes, tract 53067011200 (rural)HUD
Housing permits, Thurston County (WA), 2024508 units in 5+ unit buildings, 42 in 2–4, 672 single-family; 2023: 667 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.92; socioeconomic 0.84; housing and transport 0.99; 40% below 150% of poverty; 9% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby2 within 10 km, 2 within 25 km: 629 Woodland (0.8 km); Views on 5th Project (4.4 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 29,294 m², 7.868119239807129 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views21,308 since 2015; 2,096 in the last 12 months (+15% vs the prior 12); peak 2026-09 with 488Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population +34% (4,591 → 6,151); median income +54% ($32,043 → $49,218); renters 74% → 70%; median home value +119% ($146,900 → $321,600)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)very high overall (score 98.2); expected annual loss $5.5M; high: earthquake; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km1 LIHTC properties, 21 units: Magnolia Villa (21 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)12,173 jobs in 721 establishments; average annual pay $46,285; employment location quotient 0.95; employment +0.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202214,342 jobs; 1,368 in retail trade, 665 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 53067011200)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 41th income percentile as adults; 2.3% incarcerated at the 2010 count (491 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; 0% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 12.9%; median family income $55,102; 406 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsNorth Thurston Public Schools (PK-12); 5 public schools within 1 mile: Chinook Middle School; North Thurston High School; Envision Career Academy; Ignite Family AcademyNCES EDGE
Elevation209 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-20256 county-logged events: 2 flood, 2 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado; $826,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 98503, 2026-09median list price $502,000 (-1.6% on the year); 103 active listings; median 51 days on market; 26% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023767 establishments (-0%); 13,568 jobs (+13%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $521,378 (+0% 1 yr, +11% 5 yr); typical rent $2,043/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025536 (2000 = 100), +45% 5 yr, +154% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)127,496 vehicles a day on I-5 (Interstate, 8 lanes); 13,234 trucks; 39 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

South Sound Center opened in 1966 as an enclosed mall of about 500,000 sf. In 2000 the indoor mall was demolished and replaced by a retail plaza anchored by Target and Kohl's, with additional tenants such as Michaels, Marshalls, and PetSmart. The former Sears building was purchased by J&I Power Equipment in 2025 and occupied by them in 2026, leaving the site operating as a retail center today.

Why. The record shows the indoor mall was demolished and replaced by big‑box anchors, indicating a response to changing retail dynamics and anchor losses (e.g., Mervyns closing, Sears closing). No explicit causes such as debt or competition are stated beyond these events.

Where it stands. The site is currently operating as a retail plaza with Target, Kohl's, Michaels, Marshalls, PetSmart, and J&I Power Equipment in the former Sears space; ownership is not specified in the record.

For a planner

  • Strategy listed as 'redevelop' with new use 'retail' indicates ongoing adaptive reuse planning.
  • County population grew 8.0% (2018‑2023) and median rent $1,634 suggest market pressure for retail/services.
  • Open questions: current ownership, entitlement status for further redevelopment, and any needed infrastructure upgrades.

For a developer

  • Original enclosed mall ~500,000 sf; post‑2000 retrofit created a retail plaza anchored by Target and Kohl's.
  • Control/ownership not specified; site operates with multiple tenants including Target, Kohl's, Michaels, Marshalls, PetSmart, and J&I Power Equipment in former Sears.
  • Entitlement stage and zoning details not provided in record.
  • Market signals: Lacey county grew 8.0% 2018‑2023, median rent $1,634; opp_reasons note retrofit already built.

What we do not know yet

  • Owner/entity controlling the site is not stated in the record.
  • Current total site size or leasable area after retrofit is not provided.
  • Entitlement/zoning status and any pending approvals are unknown.
  • Context‑layer constraints (flood risk, transit access, environmental conditions) are absent from the record.
  • Several fields (year_retrofit, after_notes, status, strategy, new_use) are marked as extraction and remain unverified (verified: draft).

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

  • Lakewood Mall, Lakewood, WA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in WA; 28 km away
  • Totem Lake Mall, Kirkland, WA · Malls · opened 1973; same strategy: redevelop; also in WA
  • Arborland Center, Ann Arbor, MI · Malls · opened 1961; same strategy: redevelop
  • Beloit Plaza, Beloit, WI · Malls · opened 1966; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

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

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county grew 8.0% 2018–23
  • median rent $1,634

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

Opened1966Wikidata
AnchorsPay 'n Save, Sears, Nordstrom Place Two, Peoples, Woolworth
CountyThurston County
Census division9 · Pacific
NotesWikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

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

Background

South Sound Center is a shopping mall located in Lacey, Washington, United States. It opened in 1966 as the first shopping center in the Olympia area and originally had a 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) enclosed mall. The indoor sections were demolished in 2000 and replaced by a retail plaza anchored by Target and Kohl's.

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

Timeline

  1. 1966 Opened (Wikidata)
  2. 1966 Opened
  3. 2000 Indoor mall demolished and replaced by Target
  4. 2001 Kluh Clock donated
  5. 2006 Mervyns closed and reopened as Kohl's
  6. 2017 Verizon Wireless store crushed by snow
  7. 2019 Sears closing announced
  8. 2020 Sears store closed
  9. 2023 Gold Star Families Memorial Monument dedicated
  10. 2025 Former Sears purchased by J&I Power Equipment
  11. 2026 J&I Power Equipment relocated into former Sears space

Sources

  • Wikipedia: South Sound Center · supports: after notes, status, strategy
    13 quoted sentences
    Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.
    Around the mall's main building, which is occupied by Target and Kohl's, are a Michaels, Marshalls, and a PetSmart.
    After several stores in the mall moved out or were closed, the enclosed mall portion was torn down in 2000 and replaced by a Target store between Sears and Mervyns.
    South Sound Center opened in 1966 and was billed as the fourth regional shopping center in the state of Washington.

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