MACON, Ga. — The Macon Mall is considered the heart of Macon geographically, and it's been a part of the county's history since 1975 when anchor stores like JCPenny and Sears arrived.
Three years ago, Macon-Bibb County announced they were taking over the mall.
However, after a robbery last month, a county spokesman said they only control part of it and the previous owner still owns the rest. So, we VERFIED.
QUESTION:
Does Macon-Bibb County own the Macon Mall?
ANSWER:
NEEDS CONTEXT
OUR SOURCES:
- Executive Director for Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Alex Morrison
- Deed documents provided by Morrison that show proof of donation
- County tax records
In September 2021, Hull Property Group announced they would donate the Macon Mall to Macon-Bibb County, but when a jewelry store in the mall was robbed last month, 13WMAZ was told that Hull still owns parts of the mall.
So let's verify: Does Macon-Bibb County own the Macon Mall?
NO--but this question needs context.
Morrison says in 2021 Hull Property Group donated roughly two-thirds of the mall to the Urban Development Authority.
The plan was for Hull to manage the property in a partnership with Macon-Bibb County.
Morrison says for the purpose of the donation and the purchase, the Urban Development Authority is listed as the property owner.
“The Urban Development Authority is a separate governmental unit that it is chartered to do economic development projects within Macon and Bibb County,” Morrison said.
In the public interest, the county and Urban Development Authority are working to revitalize the mall and return equity to homeowners in that area.
So which parts of the mall does the county own?
They own the pickleball courts, the election office, the amphitheater and the county's courthouse annex.
Morrison says there are exceptions.
“The B Turner, the Old Times, the Burlington space on the inside of the mall then the anchor store were retained by Hull,” he said.
Hull Group also owns the parking in front of these stores but all the other parking lots surrounding it are owned by Urban Development Authority.
The rest of the mall won’t belong to Urban Development for another two years.