Eau Claire orders plan for Oakwood Mall

Oct. 12—EAU CLAIRE — Though still viewed as a draw for shoppers to Eau Claire, Oakwood Mall does have vacancies that have prompted the city to order a plan to help this crucial part of the area's commercial sector.

The city government has hired Madison-based consultant Vandewalle & Associates to come up with a redevelopment plan aimed at keeping the Oakwood Mall area viable.

Scott Allen, Eau Claire's community development director, said the closure of AMC Theatres last week at the mall was a trigger that prompted the city to move ahead in ordering the plan.

Aside from selecting Vandewalle & Associates, which had made designs for Eau Claire's Cannery District, the city's efforts to bolster the mall area are in their infancy.

"It is at a very preliminary stage," City Attorney Stephen Nick said Tuesday to the City Council.

Drafting the plan is expected to take three to six months, according to a document presented to the council.

The plan for the mall area — the shopping center, its massive parking lot and land on its periphery — will not be like other redevelopment plans the city has done.

For the Cannery District and parts of downtown, the city's Redevelopment Authority bought blighted buildings, cleared them and sold them to developers looking to build something to fit a general plan for those areas.

That's not the case with Oakwood Mall and the land around it, which is privately owned and still home to many thriving businesses. The mall itself is owned by real estate company Brookfield Properties. However, department store chain JC Penney and sporting goods store Scheels both have ownership of their locations in the mall. Local developer Keystone Corp. owns numerous lots along Oakwood Mall Drive, which have become stores, financial institutions, restaurants and other businesses.

"There will be discussions in greater depths with those property owners," Allen said.

The intention for the Oakwood Mall plan will be to come up with a strategy and ideas to attract new uses to spots that are currently empty or underused — such as vacant stores and excess parking spaces.

"This is a privately held parcel, but one that we recognize is in need of redevelopment," Nick said.

In addition to the recently closed 12-screen movie theater, one of the mall's anchor spots has been empty since late 2018. Beleaguered retailer Sears closed its store and auto center in Eau Claire among the scores of others closed across the nation. That also left a large parking lot around the store unused.

When asked why the city is getting involved in a privately-owned area, Allen noted the importance of the mall to the community and its economy.

"It's a giant community asset everyone wants to see maintained," he said.

He noted the mall's prime spot in the community, right off a bustling exit off U.S. 53.

Since Oakwood Mall was built in 1986, the south side has become a growing part of Eau Claire with new businesses and housing built there as well. And the mall still does attract new businesses to land located on the periphery of its sprawling parking lot. A new Chick-fil-A restaurant is currently being built in a lot on the edge of the mall area. A hotel, financial institutions, restaurants, cellphone stores and other businesses also border the mall.

But its the long-term viability of mall that attracted all that development to Eau Claire's south side that concerns city leaders.

"We have to look ahead before it becomes less viable," Allen said.

The city's intention of getting involved now is to prevent Oakwood Mall from becoming a spot where a more sweeping redevelopment effort requiring greater public investment is needed, he said.

Councilman Andrew Werthmann was encouraged to learn the city is looking to help the mall area along.

"It's exciting. I'm glad to hear that's happening," he said.

Mention of the city's upcoming mall plan was part of a long list of development projects presented to the City Council during Tuesday's meeting.

Nick and City Manager Stephanie Hirsch updated the council on the status of over 20 private developments being built or planned in Eau Claire.

Projects on the list had a minimum property value of $162.5 million and would add more than 800 apartments — a portion of them priced as low-income or workforce housing.