Home Depot buys 18 acres of Albemarle Fashion Square Mall
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Home Depot has bought out just about every store in Fashion Square Mall, except for the former JC Penney and the Belk women’s.
"Oh absolutely. Absolutely, it'll be a great change. I'm excited, very much so," the general manager at Fashion Square Mall, Athena Emmans said.
Home Depot purchased roughly 18 acres of the mall this month. This could make it the first in the area.
"So it's positive news because the community could definitely use a Home Depot here. It'll bring more business and more traffic into our community and they're a staple in our community in general, outside of Charlottesville," Emmans said.
As of now, there have been no solid plans for the existing building.
“We do not have any solidified plans at this time. This is all very brand new, I mean they only took ownership on the first. JLL as well as Home Depot teams are all working together to see what the future brings," Emmans said.
Leaders say Home Depot is going to have to work alongside the county to make sure it's in line with the "Rio 29 Small Area Plan."
Lighting, parking, signs, and the character of the building itself all play a part.
And this new buy-out is exciting because it could bring more people, more businesses, and more opportunities for the area.