An emotional goodbye: Lakeside Mall is closed for good, as of July 1

STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- It was a rather sentimental goodbye as many Metro Detroiters took to social media over the weekend to post their farewell photos of Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights.

The mall first opened on March 2, 1976, and for a couple of decades arguably served as the bustling center of Macomb County.

It's officially closed forever, as of July 1, 2024.

"I went last week and shed a tear or five. I didn’t expect to be as emotional as I got," said Cira Mench, who grew up in Sterling Heights.

"I wish I could bottle the way it smelled; like tobacco, leather and running water. I really went to smell it one last time."

Another former Sterling Heights resident, Matt Lincoln, also stopped by the mall to say goodbye. He's sad to see the architecture go.

"It was a beautiful building inside with the skylights, plants and seating areas," Lincoln said. "I will miss the climate controlled public spaces inside."

Replacing the historic mall, at Hall and Schoenherr roads, will be a town-square style development with apartments, restaurants, a hotel, and new stores.

The planned Lakeside Town Center development has been compared to the Mall at Partridge Creek: another outdoor mall also located on Hall Road, just a couple of minutes' drive away.

Sterling Heights Mayor Mike Taylor told WWJ Newsradio 950s Greg Bowman that the new Lakeside will in fact be quite different from Partridge Creek.

"I think Partridge Creek is unique and it's interesting in its own way, but really to me Partridge Creek is like a shopping mall without the roof," Taylor said.

"What we're gonna have in Lakeside is gonna feel more like on-street parking," he said. "You're gonna be able to drive up to coffee shop, park on the street, you know, maybe pay a small parking fee and then walk to where you want to go. I think it's going to be a very different experience."

While most of the existing mall structure will be demolished, the mayor said the Macy's and JC Penney stores at Lakeside remain open, and are expected to be a part of the new project.

Taylor, looking forward to the future, believes Lakeside Town Center will help to grow and improve the way people think of the city.

"For ten years we've been trying to change the perception of Sterling Heights," Taylor told Bowman. "Because we know that, we know that Sterling Heights to a listener — you know, in Livonia or Farmington Hills or Westland — they probably don't know much about Sterling Heights. They probably don't get out to Sterling Heights unless there's a really specific reason that have to be here. But we think that the City of Sterling Heights, and Macomb County in general, can be a destination."

The redevelopment is projected to positively impact the region by $1 billion.

Groundbreaking is tentatively planned to begin in late 2025.

MORE: Public will have a chance to own a piece of Sterling Heights' Lakeside Mall after it closes for good