Retrofit Atlas

Big boxes · Virginia

Former Macy's location at River Ridge Mall

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRegreenedRetrofit builtLynchburg, VA

Retrofit complete (2019) as park/retail; no new opportunity; adjacent site also built. · summary, model-written

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Site profile8 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 49,475 on 501 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -12% census-cbp · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: 501 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -1.1% census-acs · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …outdoor grassy event venue as well as some outside facing stores record · all sites with this
RegreenedThis site: …outdoor grassy event venue as well as some outside facing stores record · all sites with this
New use
Park and open spaceThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedeveloped · RegreenedWikipedia no source
New usespark, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowoutdoor grassy event venue as well as some outside facing storesnewtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2019newtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperLiberty Universitynewtypes-extraction reported

Site context

Housing permits, Lynchburg (Independent City) (VA), 2024240 units in 5+ unit buildings, 0 in 2–4, 232 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto building at River Ridge Mall (0.0 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)5,590 jobs in 318 establishments; average annual pay $35,088; employment location quotient 1.19; employment -3.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20224,029 jobs; 1,625 in retail trade, 1,368 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 51680001601)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 44th income percentile as adults; 2.1% incarcerated at the 2010 count (413 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)low-income, low-access tract (1 mile urban / 10 miles rural); 14% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 28.2%; median family income $43,051; 384 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsLynchburg City Public Schools (PK-12); 2 public schools within 1 mile: Sheffield Elementary; Lynchburg Regional Governor's STEM AcademyNCES EDGE
Elevation841 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-202580 county-logged events: 37 thunderstorm wind, 13 flash flood, 10 heavy rain, 8 hail; $29,145,600 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 24502, 2026-09median list price $298,425 (-0.9% on the year); 145 active listings; median 45 days on market; 22% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023339 establishments (-12%); 6,212 jobs (-17%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $243,511 (+0% 1 yr, +28% 5 yr); typical rent $1,270/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)49,475 vehicles a day on 501 (freeway or expressway, 2 lanes); 1,706 trucks; 31 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Liberty University completed a 2019 retrofit of the former Macy's at River Ridge Mall (closed 2017), converting it to a park and retail uses. The site is now "built" with an outdoor grassy event venue and some outside-facing stores. The adjacent Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto building (0km away) is also built under the same strategy.

Why. The retrofit strategy (redevelop/regreen) was executed and completed; the opportunity score is 0.0 because the retrofit is already built.

Where it stands. Status: built. No current tenant details beyond "outside-facing stores" and event venue.

For a planner

  • Adjacent to another built retrofit (Montgomery Ward) within 0km.
  • Housing market shows modest growth (ZHVI +28.5% 5y), but retail establishments declined (-12.2% 2012-2023).

For a developer

  • No new opportunity exists (retrofit complete).
  • Liberty University remains the developer with no end date noted.

What we do not know yet

  • No current retail tenants listed.
  • Exact park size/features unknown.
  • No data on event venue usage or revenue.

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Closed2017newtypes-extraction
CountyLynchburg city
Census division5 · South Atlantic
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Former Macy's big-box store was demolished and replaced with an outdoor grassy event venue and new retail.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Background

River Ridge Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia. Opened in 1980, the mall features JCPenney, Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, TJ Maxx, and Regal Cinemas as its primary anchors, with HomeGoods, and Planet Fitness serving as secondary anchors. Three restaurant outparcels include Red Lobster, Taco Bell, and a local restaurant named Shakers, with a fourth outparcel being developed as a 7 Brew that will open in 2025. A Residence Inn by Marriott is the mall's first on-site hotel. The mall is owned by Liberty University and is managed by the Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) group. == History == River Ridge Mall opened in 1980 with Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 2017 Closed
  2. 2019 Retrofit: redevelop, regreen

Sources

More in Virginia

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