KEY POINTS
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Forest Acres officials approved the next phase of the $100 million South Carolina redevelopment of the former Richland Mall site, clearing Georgia-based developer Southeastern to begin construction.
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The project will bring 380 luxury apartments, a Kroger grocery store with a fueling station, a six-acre public park, and a repurposed parking garage to the property.
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The completion date moved from fall 2027 to April 2028 after additional features were added, including expanded public park amenities designed to serve residents of all ages.
Construction is set to begin on the South Carolina redevelopment of the former Richland Mall site after Forest Acres officials approved plans for the next phase of the $100 million project, according to a report from WIS10.
Forest Acres city officials said Georgia-based developer Southeastern has been cleared to move forward on the property, which has remained vacant since the mall was demolished. The decision means one of the Midlands' redevelopment efforts is poised to move from planning into active construction.
The mixed-use project is slated to include 380 luxury apartments, a Kroger grocery store with a fueling station, a six-acre public park, and a repurposed version of the former mall's parking garage for resident use.
Completion Timeline Extends to 2028
Forest Acres officials also said the project's timeline has shifted. The full development was previously expected to wrap up by fall 2027. It is now projected for completion in April 2028 after added features expanded the overall scope.
That revised schedule reflects the city's push to turn the former mall property into more than a housing and retail site. Officials are positioning the redevelopment as a long-term community destination that adds residential density, neighborhood services, and public gathering space in one of the area's best-known corridors.
Park Planned as Community Gathering Space
Forest Acres Communications Director Lynnsey Baker said the new public park is being designed for broad public use and accessibility.
"This park is going to be safe. This park is going to be clean, multigenerational, with your toddler, infant, all the way up to your grandmother," Baker said. "It is going to be ADA compliant. It will have a walking path, reading garden and state-of-the-art playground. It's going to have an amphitheater. It is going to transform this community because we are finally going to have a gathering space worthy of Forest Acres."
The park is expected to become a central feature of the redevelopment, giving the project a civic component alongside its residential and retail elements.
From Regional Landmark to New Mixed-Use Hub
Richland Mall was once a popular shopping destination in the 1970s and 1980s and has long held landmark status in Forest Acres. City leaders now hope the redevelopment will create a new destination that brings residents together while adding housing, retail and green space to the area.
With construction anticipated to begin, the project marks a significant step in the site's transition from a long-vacant former mall into a new mixed-use center for the community.
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