At Georgia Square Mall, back to square one after major redevelopment fizzles

The roughly 650,000-square-foot complex reshaped the retail landscape of Athens in the 1980s and remained a major shopping destination into the 2000s. Now, only about 15 of its more than 100 retail spaces are occupied.

Developer Mark Jennings, co-founder of the Leaven Group, which owns the mall, has spent more than four years trying to transform the property. On Thursday, he told more than 200 people gathered for a town hall about potential housing, restaurants, national brands and outdoor spaces.

But Jennings revealed no concrete plan. And he said he won’t while zoning remains in flux.

Residents will have to keep waiting.

“I’m not going to start a new vision,” Jennings told the crowd. “What did I learn? You put your hand in the fire and it gets burned, don’t put it back.”

Jennings was referring to the ambitious redevelopment plan that Athens-Clarke County approved in 2023, a $660 million project that called for more than 1,200 housing units, 70,000 square feet of commercial space and other amenities.

The plan was built around a partnership between the Leaven Group and the county, which had agreed to use a tax allocation district, or TAD, to help finance the project. The arrangement would have directed future increases in property-tax revenue from the redevelopment area toward the project, including a commitment of up to $186 million in public financing.

But the redevelopment had to happen before the property could generate the additional TAD tax revenue to help finance it. The developer still needed to secure enough private funding to start construction.

County officials, who participated in the town hall, are now considering loosening the zoning restrictions. That flexibility could make it easier for the Leaven Group to attract private funding but also injects uncertainty into what eventually could stand on the site.

‘Better not get rid of the Belk’

During public comment Thursday, some in attendance expressed concern about increased traffic and housing replacing stores. One man offered a detailed layout to include a water park. A woman issued Jennings a warning:

“You better not get rid of the Belk.”

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

The lone remaining anchor department store is a reminder of what Georgia Square once was. Many in the crowd spoke fondly of those days and of the need to bring thriving businesses back to the mall even as e-commerce replaces old-fashioned stores.

“Trust me, if it was simple, we’d be here eating ice cream and shopping,” Jennings said.

Athens-Clarke County is considering an overlay zoning district for Georgia Square Mall, replacing the property’s planned-development zoning.

The 2023 plan spelled out a specific redevelopment from the beginning of construction to completion. The overlay would allow plans to change as the project on the roughly 75-acre property progresses.

Although the TAD would remain in place, Jennings has said the Leaven Group wouldn’t take any public funding under the new arrangement.

Military recruiting office, bridge club

Even as Athens debates what Georgia Square could become, the mall has developed a different kind of life.

Around noon on a recent weekday, most storefronts were shuttered behind metal gates. Finish Line, one of two remaining athletic apparel stores, was nearing its final day before closing.

Yet pockets of activity remained.

Every chair in a barbershop near the main entrance was occupied, mostly by children and teenagers getting haircuts before the start of school.

Upstairs, the Athens bridge club draws dozens of players on most weekdays. About 50 people typically show up for Wednesday games, and tournaments can draw hundreds.

There is a police substation, military recruiting offices and a space for fencing lessons. The Boys & Girls Club offers teens job skills and career path advice in what was a Charlotte Russe clothing store with mannequins and dress racks.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Fall vote could move plans forward

Bruce Lonnee, Athens-Clarke County’s planning director, said the existing zoning can make it difficult to respond when potential tenants or developers want something different from what was originally approved.

“It’s very difficult to move pieces around in a planned development,” Lonnee said. “That’s what’s being asked to go away in favor of flexibility.”

Jennings said the difference already has practical implications.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, a nationwide retailer with a location in neighboring Oconee County, expressed interest in opening at Georgia Square Mall, Jennings said. But the space the company wanted was too large to fit within the previous plan.

“We had to say no,” Jennings said.

Athens-Clarke County, however, remains involved in determining what Georgia Square can become.

The county planning commission tabled a vote on recommending approval or denial of the overlay at a meeting earlier this month. A vote is expected next month, which would send the recommendation to the mayor and commission. The earliest the overlay could receive final approval is October.

Jon Williams, the president of W&A Engineering who has previously worked on the project, said the overlay would not mean construction is imminent.

Another round of market studies, architectural design, engineering and other work would then be required.

“Best-case scenario,” Williams said, “if the vote is in October, nothing would be mobilized as far as new construction until the following October.”

Residents will have to keep waiting.

Still, at least one new retailer has opened at the mall within the past year. Across from Belk sits Classic City Aquariums, where co-owner Adam Daniel said the business gets more walk-in customers than it did at its previous location in Oconee County.

After years of plans that have changed and stalled, Daniel still sees a future here.

“I’m excited,” he said, “to see what this place gets turned into.”