Developers Eye Revamp of Buena Park Mall by Adding Residents to Retail
A faded imprint of a Sears marquee sign is the only visible reminder of the retail store that once anchored the Buena Park Mall for decades but is now an abandoned appendage. Sears closed in early 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic, as a harbinger of hardships to come.
After waves of infections and color-coded capacity limits, the mall’s corridors have similarly hallowed out; storefronts that once sold perfumes, shoes and sports apparel are now darkened with their fences pulled down.
In an era of online shopping, it’s easy to write off the former Sears building and even the Buena Park Mall as retail relics.
But Merlone Geier Partners is hoping to transform the withered west end of the mall into the Village, a vibrant community of residents, ones who will live, shop and dine in the heart of Buena Park Downtown.
Read more on my latest TimesOC feature: