Legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-Suwanee, to support the redevelopment of abandoned malls has been included in a a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill for next fiscal year, the congresswoman announced Wednesday.
“Abandoned and struggling malls occupy acres of underutilized land in the heart of our communities,” Bourdeaux said in a news release. “This bill will provide meaningful investment to incentivize private redevelopment of these malls and will help stitch the fabric of our communities back together.”
The Grayfield Redevelopment and Economic Advancement Through Effective Repurposing (GREATER) Revitalization of Shopping Centers Act would create a grant subsidy program to encourage investment in mall redevelopment.
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill released Wednesday includes $60 million for a grant subsidy program for shopping mall redevelopment.
The proposal comes as Gwinnett County works to redevelop the nearly abandoned Gwinnett Place mall into a mixed-use development with housing, retail, office space, a central park and a cultural center.
The mall became an engine of economic growth after it opened in 1984, turning the area off I-85 south of Duluth into the unofficial downtown of Gwinnett County, but it has declined in the past two decades.
Other struggling malls include North DeKalb Mall in Decatur, Greenbriar Mall in southwest Atlanta, North Point Mall in Alpharetta and The Mall at Stonecrest.
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