City of Southfiled buys Northland Center mall. Plans to demolish, sell property

The city of Southfield will spend up to $12.4 million to eliminate the eyesore that is now Northland Center mall at Eight Mile Road and the Lodge Freeway. Up to $10 million more may be needed for demolition and clean up, the city said Wednesday.

The mall now has a $31 million mortgage lien that is being relinquished with the city’s purchase. It also announced it plans to demolish and sell the property to a qualified developer. Over the past two years, $7.8 million has been set aside in the fund. The local improvement revolving fund, started in 1983 and reserved exclusively for capital projects, will also be used, Manion said.

Southfield City Administrator Fred Zorn said he anticipates it will take about a year for the demolition and cleanup work to finish.

The city said in the press release that the purchase and demolition will not cost taxpayers anything extra.

Manion said the city wants control of what goes in the spot – possibly condos and shops.

Interested developers are encouraged to contact City of Southfield Business and Economic Development Director Rochelle Freeman and Southfield Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Al Aceves to discuss potential ideas. What that means is open-ended ― maybe a few office space, retail, senior housing. It was enclosed in 1971 and enjoyed many years of popularity after a steady decline in recent years – eventually losing its anchor stores.

The city of Southfield has bought what was once one of the nation’s oldest shopping malls and is planning redevelopment for the 114-acre site just north of Detroit. An Oakland County Circuit Court judge approved the sale. Rental income and revenue were not enough to outweigh the operating costs, he said.