MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Foxcroft Towne Center, formerly the Martinsburg Mall, will be closing, effective Nov. 1.
According to a press release from mall management, parent company Martinsburg Development Partners LLC will be closing the interior portion of the mall, leaving only anchor stores Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney and Bon Ton open.
Eric Cornett, chief operating officer, said the many vacant storefronts inside the mall are part of the reason for the closure.
“Due to the increased vacancy inside the mall, it was no longer economically viable to continue to operate the property as an enclosed mall,” Cornett said. “We believe that closing the interior mall is a necessary step in order to revitalize the property and make it a viable part of the community going forward.”
Cornett and Martinsburg Development Partners said they want to redevelop the mall into an “open air center.” The press release states that market and consumer trends are changing and many smaller, regional malls are “struggling to remain relevant in today’s competitive and changing retail environment.”
The Martinsburg Mall was built in 1991, and Martinsburg Development Partners purchased the property in 2013. In 2015, Martinsburg Development Partners announced the name change from “Martinsburg Mall” to “Foxcroft Towne Center.” The name change was part of Phase 1 of redeveloping the mall property. The first phase included the demolition of the former Sears store and replacing it with six pad sites.
Four of the six pad sites are currently under development, as well as a small shop building on the Wal-Mart side of the mall, according to the press release.
Kay Jewelers, Five Guys Burgers, Great Clips, T-Mobile and Wing Stop are coming soon to the pad sites. Mattress Warehouse opened on one of the pads in 2015 and a Chili’s restaurant is nearing completion and is scheduled to open this month.
According to Martinsburg Development Partners, the concept plan for Phase 2 of the redevelopment has been submitted to the City of Martinsburg’s planning department. The revised plan for Phase 2 would involve the demolition of approximately 40,000 square feet of the enclosed mall building in order to create proposed new outside entry spaces.
“Since we purchased the property 3 years ago, the demand from national retailers interested in Martinsburg has been very clear they want outside entry spaces,” Cornett said. “Closing the interior mall and creating pad sites and outside entry boxes is a direct response to the demands of the national retailers.”
Staff writer Mary Stortstrom can be reached at 304-263-8931 ext. 138 or www.twitter.com/mstortstromJN.