After sitting unused for over a decade, the old Fort Chiswell Outlet Mall has a buyer: Wythe County.
The county government is set to purchase the 55-acre property for $1.5 million, according to county spokesperson Allyson Williams. For years, the area has been a sea of overgrown parking lots and concrete slabs, after the old mall was demolished. Now, the county wants to work with developers to figure out the best use for the land, according to a Friday news release from the county.
No development has been approved for the property yet. It could be used for a commercial, residential or recreational project, Williams said by phone Friday. There’s less desire for industrial development there, she said, but the county would consider an enticing enough proposal.
“Never say never,” Williams said. “But we need recreational fields. We need housing. We could use more commercial opportunities on this end of the county. So we want to see what makes the most sense.”
The property is located off of Factory Outlet Drive in Max Meadows, at the intersection of Interstates 77 and 81. The old mall was built in the 1980s. Stores gradually closed up shop until it was left completely vacant by around 2010. Then a fire in 2018 partially destroyed some of the mall’s buildings — the rest was demolished afterward.
At the time, the mall struggled partially due to a location that was hard to get to, Williams said. But that shouldn’t be a problem these days when GPS is more common, she said. The property has utility hookups and access roads, she said, which should make it viable for development.
The county is still working on closing the deal and coming up with next steps, she said. The owner is listed on the county’s mapping website as WKE Max Meadows LLC.
“Purchasing the site gives the county flexibility to develop or market the site in a manner that supports the needs of the community instead of potentially being sold for undesirable development,” Wythe County Administrator Stephen Bear said in the Friday news release.
Supervisor James Smith, who represents the area encompassing the mall, said in the release that the property has potential to create new opportunities for the county.
“Like many people in our community, we have watched this property sit largely unused for years and wondered what it could become,” Smith said.
