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Photo courtesy of Google Maps
Taunton’s 29-year-old Silver City Galleria will be demolished within weeks as the owners look beyond traditional enclosed retail space for the future of the 101-acre property.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said the city will work with developers on potential redevelopment including light industrial, commercial, warehouse and distribution uses.
“The Galleria Mall has suffered the same fate of malls across the country,” O’Connell said in an email. “While this is a loss for our community, we are presented with a new opportunity for economic development that will create jobs and revenue. The mall property is an ideal location right off major highways.”
Anchor tenants including J.C. Penney, Best Buy, Sears and Macy’s have closed in recent years, while the rest of the mall suffered from dwindling occupancy. Everett-based Thibeault Development acquired the property through foreclosure in June 2019 for $7.5 million. The center closed its doors permanently in February 2020.
“We look forward to working with the property owner to move a project forward in an expeditious manner,” O’Connell said.
The property is assessed at $8.1 million, less than half of its value in 2019.
Thibeault Development has a background in adaptive reuse projects including conversion of a downtown Boston office building into housing and the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Registry of Motor Vehicles at Downtown Crossing. In November, it submitted plans to convert a former Boston University office building into compact living units.
