FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Two formerly popular Central Pennsylvania malls have lost their footing over the past decade and a half and now there is a link between them. The North Hanover Mall and the Chambersburg Mall are both owned by the same group, NAMDAR, a property management organization with more than 350 properties across the United States.
NAMDAR purchased the North Hanover Mall in 2014 and the Chambersburg Mall in 2013. Franklin County Officials claim the mall in Chambersburg has been on the decline since 2010, but once NAMDAR took over, all hope for the mall’s future was lost.
“There’s been no investment,” said President of the Franklin County Development Coordination Office Mike Ross. “And, over the last 12 years, it’s become totally vacant.”
The two malls in Central PA are not the only ones to see its quality plummet since being purchased by NAMDAR, the Pittsburgh Mills Mall in Allegheny County also saw its downfall under the ownership group.
“They have a history of buying malls and failing retail centers at discounted prices,” said Ross. “They rarely reinvest. And you can I mean, this has been chronicled around the state of Pennsylvania.”
While the Chambersburg Mall has only been abandoned, the North Hanover Mall was recently condemned after a number of code violations were reported. The Chief Hanover Codes Enforcement Officer says they found collapsed ceilings, roof leaks, and water in electricity boxes. The building was officially condemned after an exterior wall collapse last week.
Franklin County officials say there is hope for the future of the mall’s location, but the mall itself might be hopeless. Especially with NAMDAR running the show
“They have not done anything to invest in it. And so now it’s continue continuing to deteriorate and then it becomes a public safety issue,” said Ross. “There’s been vandalism in the building, both last year and just recently. Within the last, 4 to 6 weeks, there.”