Real estate group announces plans to redevelop mall

A group of Southeast Missouri developers has announced plans to redevelop West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

River City Centre LLC. acquired ownership of the retail stalwart and stated its intentions to return the mall to its former place as "one of the region's primary draws," according to a news release this week on the plans.

The group bought the mall in 2021 for nearly $9.8 million during an online auction. The J.C. Penney store located in the mall was excluded for the original sale because it was under separate ownership. The shopping center was previously owned by LNR Partners of Miami Beach, Florida, prior to RCC's acquisition.

Nick Martin, president of Pilot Construction and RCC representative said in the release the development group has built a team focused on making the mall a "destination" again.

"They're working to ensure all current and future tenants make an exciting attraction and look forward to working with the City of Cape Girardeau and the community to revive the property," Martin said.

RCC has partnered with The Lawrence Group — a St. Louis-based design firm — to help with the redevelopment. The Lawrence Group has experience in the field, previously redeveloping three malls in the St. Louis area — Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters, Missouri, The District of St. Louis in Chesterfield, Missouri, and City Foundry STL in St. Louis.

The St. Louis firm also worked on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus and Academic Hall.

Other partners on the endeavor include Pace Properties of St. Louis and Integra Realty Resources from Kansas City, Missouri.

The mall first opened in 1981. Christy Easley, general manager for West Park Mall since 2012, said in the release there has been no major development at the mall under previous owners with the exception of Barnes & Noble — which moved into the mall 17 years ago.

"The mall has been waiting a long time for an ownership group like River City Centre to breathe new life into it," Easley said. "For the first time in a long time, I am excited for the future of the mall."

The 68-acre lot had nearly 100 bidders when it was auctioned off nearly two years ago. The price reportedly skyrocketed more than $5 million in the final hour of the auction.

West Park Mall was purchased by Australian corporation Centro Properties for more than $64 million in 2006. It was later appraised by Bob Adams, Cape Girardeau County assessor, for $16 million in 2020.

Martin said more details would be coming out about the development plan in the coming weeks.