Fashion Mall
| Location | Plantation, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1988 |
| Developer | Melvin Simon & Assoc. |
| Owner | U.S. Capital Holdings Group |
| No. of stores and services | 110 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 660,000 sq ft |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | A large six-story lot for the main mall, a smaller, two-story lot for Lord and Taylor, and a ground lot for Macy's. |
| Website | www.321north.com |
Fashion Mall was a three-level shopping mall in Plantation, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. The mall closed in December 2006 following hurricane damage. The new owner is transforming the property into a self-described "dynamic mixed-use lifestyle destination" known as 321 North.
Fashion Mall opened with Lord and Taylor as an anchor store in early 1988. Thereafter, Macy's opened in time for the busy 1988 Holiday shopping season before the rest of the mall was completed. The Lord and Taylor store closed in 2003, when the chain exited the state of Florida. After a series of sales, the property was acquired by U.S. Capital Holdings Group in 2004. The Macy's remained open until 2005, when Hurricane Wilma caused significant damage to the store; on 26 July 2006, Macy's announced it was permanently closing the Fashion Mall store.
After Lord & Taylor and Macy's closed, the occupancy dwindled to fewer than 20 stores. Adding to the center's woes was the hurricane damage and an agreement signed by the previous owners with the city of Plantation, agreeing to install upgrades to the mall's fire safety systems. While U.S. Capital Holdings Group considered plans to repair and renovate the property, the city pressed to have the upgrades installed, since the deficiencies had been noted since 2003 unbeknownst to the owner and it was claimed that nothing had been done to remediate them.
After a number of discussions between the city and the owner, the cost to remedy the city's requirements was considered excessive and unwarranted by the new owner, unless part of the total mall renovation. Without an amicable resolution, the city informed the mall's tenants that they would be required to vacate their locations in the mall by October 15, 2007, and that any occupational licenses held by tenants of the center were revoked.
On 25 January 2007, U.S. Capital announced plans to develop the project into a mixed-use lifestyle destination, named 321 North (for its address on University Drive). The plan calls for a significant portion of the mall structure to be demolished, and the retail portion to be reconfigured to street-front stores. The company received site plan approval in November 2008 and began renovations. However, the recession that took full effect in South Florida in late 2008 and 2009 brought the project to a halt. Through 2010 and 2011, legal issues plagued the mall. However, under the auspices of a Chapter 11 restructure in late 2012, ownership was ready to move forward again.
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