Old mall’s owner gets new deadlines

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 14, 2002

[08/14/02]Owners of the former Battlefield Village mall must tear down the dilapidated building in the next 10 days or put up $450,000 to pay for its demolition if negotiations to salvage it fall through.

The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen called a special meeting Tuesday on J&V Properties’ appeal of earlier decisions on the North Frontage Road property.

In their vote, city officials gave the owners two choices to get the buildings down or renovated in 90 days.

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“We’re going to advertise for demolition in 10 days if they don’t get to it first,” said Mayor Laurence Leyens.

To stop that, J&V must post a $450,000 bond that will give the company another 90 days to sell the property, renovate the buildings or tear down the structures, now mostly vacant for six years.

If after 90 days nothing has happened, the bond would be used to pay for demolition of the mall and outparcel buildings.

“If they’re serious about selling the property, they should be willing to put up the money,” Leyens said.

State law and city ordinance allow municipalities to contract for the demolition of structures “unsafe or unfit for human occupancy” and place a tax lien on the property for the cost. Leyens said allowing the owners to put up the bond will avoid tying up tax dollars on the property.

Representatives of Battlefield’s owners appealed the city’s order to demolish the buildings, saying last week that they are negotiating with another potential developer for the site. The owners can file an appeal of the city’s latest order in circuit court in the next 10 days.

The owners did not identify the potential development, but state Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said state funding could be involved. Flaggs also said the development could mean 1,200 jobs in Vicksburg.

“They met with me and told me about what they want to do,” Flaggs said. But, “they don’t want it to be recognized until they get the plans down.”

The city building inspector initially issued a demolition order for the 41-year-old structure Nov. 29, but a 180-day stay was granted after owners said they had a contract pending for development of that site for a Home Depot project.

That deal fell through after a site off Halls Ferry Road was selected by Ergon Properties, now leveling land for the home improvement store.

At Battlefield in June, work began to remove a former cinema and car repair center not connected to the main structure. That work has since stopped.

In its prime, Battlefield was the first, and one of the largest, malls in Mississippi with major stores such as McRae’s, Sears, Kroger and Walgreens joined by smaller specialty shops and a restaurant. It emptied quickly after Pemberton Square mall opened in 1985.

The building was then converted into office space for federal employees moved from the condemned Walnut Towers building near City Hall. It has been vacant since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District moved to new offices on East Clay Street in 1996.