What was once a popular shopping destination on the Southwest Side appears to be nearing closure.
Ford City Mall, which opened in 1965, could be forced to shut down after its owner, Namdar Realty Group, failed to make repairs to the deteriorating building, including fixing a malfunctioning fire suppression system and preventing constant flooding.
Cook County Circuit Judge Leonard Murray gave tenants seven days to present a plan to either close their businesses or vacate the building, following a court-ordered shutdown during a hearing Thursday. The next hearing is scheduled for April 23.
“This is about Namdar not taking responsibility,” Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th), whose ward includes Ford City Mall, said. “The city’s been telling them to come into compliance for years now. It’s become a public safety issue.”
Namdar Realty Group and the city’s Department of Law didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The city filed an emergency motion on April 10, months after real estate company Kurv Industrial, formerly Bridge Industrial, unveiled plans to demolish the mall at 7601 S. Cicero Ave. and redevelop the site into a $150 million industrial campus.
The nearly 60-acre property would be cleared to make way for four buildings designated for warehousing or light manufacturing, though no recent updates have been provided on the proposal.
Curtis said Namdar had the opportunity to revitalize the property and create a space where the community could shop and gather. Instead, he said, the company has built a reputation for purchasing distressed properties and “draining everything out.”
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Curtis said.
Aside from the issues inside the building, the mostly-deserted mall has been an attraction for drivers to drift their cars on the parking lot. Curtis said Namdar has refused to hire security to keep them away.
“The drifters come over and burn the tires and drift in the parking lot, make donuts and burn tires,” he said. “It’s really been a bad situation with this particular company.
Namdar bought the mall in 2019 for $16.6 million, a far cry from earlier transactions. Real estate tycoon Sam Zell had the property for 25 years, paying a reported $75 million in 1987. Zell handed it to his lender in 2012.
During Thursday’s hearing, Murray denied a request from a JCPenney representative to have 30 days to respond to the motion. JCPenney is the only department store in the mall.
Curtis said tenants are concerned about what will happen to their leases if the judge decides to shut down the building. Among the building’s tenants are AMC Theatres, Foot Locker and Marshalls.
