Louisville’s Mid City Mall to be demolished and transformed into an open-air center
Branch Properties, in a joint venture with the Metts family, the property's longtime owners, has announced it has closed on the 11.5-acre Mid City Mall site in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood, clearing the way for Mid City Market, a more than $60 million, 114,349-sq.-ft. Publix-anchored redevelopment.
"Mid City Mall has deep roots in the Highlands, and closing on the property means we can start delivering on what we've heard from neighbors and city partners," said Jesse Shannon, president and CIO of Branch Properties. "We told the community we would start site work by the end of this year, and we're proud to be delivering on that date."
Work will begin on the new development in early December with decommissioning of the existing building, followed by demolition through early 2027. Construction of the new buildings is expected to take about 14 months, and Branch anticipates a grand opening in the spring of 2028.
Mid City Mall opened in 1962 with a nearly 55,000-sq.-ft. Publix and adjacent 3,200-sq.-ft. Publix Liquors. Plans for the new development include adding green space and pedestrian walkways and reducing surface parking by about 25%.
Two tenants, Heine Brothers' Coffee and Raising Cane's,will remain open during construction.
The city of Louisville has signed an agreement to purchase part of the site for a new Highlands-Shelby Park branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, which the city will own and fund. The library branch will sit on the Beechwood Avenue side of the development, and the project includes improvements to Beechwood Park based on a plan designed by Friends of Beechwood Park and Gresham Smith.
“This will be a new, state-of-the-art library that serves families, students and neighbors for years to come,” said Mayor Greenberg. “We’re excited to see it come to life as part of Mid City Market, another great investment for Highlands neighbors and the future of Bardstown Road.”
Branch managed an active schedule in North Carolina this year, during which it completed a $170 million recapitalization of a five-property, Publix-anchored portfolio with Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
It opened Publix at Rockfish Village center in Fayetteville; Calabash Commons in Calabash and Village Commons in Wesley Chapel. The company expects to close on other projects across the Southeast in the coming weeks.
