After 16 years of sitting vacant, the former Westlake Mall in Bessemer is getting a makeover. Range Light Investment Partners is planning to transform the property into a light industrial complex.
The Marvel City Business Park will include industrial and manufacturing suites.
The 323,000-square-foot shopping center will be divided into spaces ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 square feet.
Range Light acquired the former mall, which closed in 2009 after 40 years. The parking lot has been used to store Mercedes vehicles, but the building is dilapidated and in need of major renovations.
The plan is to remove and upgrade interior and exterior retail components, add new roofing and upgrade lighting and electrical components. There will be parking space, outdoor storage and yard space.
"Shopping malls built from the 1960s through the 1990s were the distribution centers of that era," said the founder of Range Light Investment Partners, Pat Foran. "All of the features that made them great malls years ago are the same features light industrial and flex tenants are looking for today."
Foran said the development will meet the needs of Birmingham-area tenants seeking smaller bay-sized options that offer more affordable rent.
The first suites are expected to be ready for lease by the end of the year.
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