Photography by Byron Kerman
Earlier this week, St. Louis Magazine took readers inside the all-but-abandoned St. Louis Outlet Mall, also known as the Mills. On Wednesday evening, Hazelwood's City Council "unanimously approved the public support terms as well as a settlement on the refinancing plan for the $36.8 million Transportation Development District tax debt" for a youth sports complex—POWERplex—to take over the mall's spot.
The St. Louis Outlet Mall, which sits on about 160 acres, is currently 91 percent vacant. Plans for the proposed megaplex, whose investor Big Sports Properties, LLC, is dropping about $60 million on the redevelopment, include converting the mall into six sports venues, which will host more than 180 major baseball, softball, lacrosse, 7 on 7 football, basketball, volleyball, and beach volleyball tournaments.
There are also plans for an 18-theater cineplex, as well as 13 restaurants, retail stores, three go-kart tracks, and putt-putt golf. Six hotels and a convenience store will support the complex, which is expected to partially open in early 2020 and estimated to draw in 2.9 million visitors annually.
In a release, Dan Buck, a managing partner of POWERplex, said that: “The city of Hazelwood has been a remarkable partner in this project and they clearly see what all our partners and sponsors see—a campus that can be transformed into something incredible for our entire region."
