There is no doubt that the North Riverside Mall faces many challenges from the reduction of the number of potential major retail anchors, a reduction of smaller chain stores attracted to malls and, mall vs. internet shopping.
First signs occurred in the original Hillside Mall which is now a site for a single business — CarMax.
More recently, the Yorktown Mall has seen the effects of a decline in mall shopping. The outlying strip shopping is gone and there has been a large-scale infusion of multistory residential.
While most communities would like to see replacement mall uses as generators of new and additional income, the reality may be limited taxable uses including residential, senior housing, medical support facilities and personal services.
Wishing the village of North Riverside the best in replanning the mall for the future.
James Mann, Brookfield
