The mall revitalization plan floated by the Orchards Mall owner is a non-starter, according to Benton Charter Township Supervisor Cathy Yates.
For years, the all-but-abandoned Orchards Mall has been the talk of different ideas for how to re-imagine and use the property in a better way than what’s there today. About two months ago, Berrien County Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford asked the Mall’s owner for a revitalization proposal and how much capital they’d be willing to invest.
The owner provided a plan and after minor tweaks, the plan was shared with a few local officials, including Benton Charter Township Supervisor Cathy Yates. Supervisor Yates says she reviewed the plan, but said it includes converting part of the commercially-zoned mall area into residential use. Yates said that’s a non-starter.
“The plan that has been delivered is not workable. And I’ve not heard from the Orchards Mall owners. They need to step it up. We really need to get this going because they’ve been working with this for a couple of years. They need to work with the building department of Benton Charter Township to make this happen. It is not a residential area. It is commercial, and we’re going to keep it that way.”
The mall has faced a number of issues over the years including a lack of property upkeep, a water main breaking and damaging business inventory, unpaid property taxes, and most recently thousands of nesting gulls. A gull remediation project is underway, but to date, the gull issue has not abated.
