Malls · Massachusetts
Berkshire Mall (Lanesborough)
Berkshire Mall opened 1988, declined after anchor losses, partial with Target only, owner Kohan plans 400‑600 senior apartments for people · summary, model-written
Reach the owner Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this recordhttps://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ma/lanesborough-berkshire-mall/
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile14 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Former anchors
Hills (later Ames)
This site: Hills (later Ames) wikipedia · all sites with thisJCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with thisSears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with thisFinance and pipeline
Attention fading (Wikipedia views −40% y/y)
This site: 5,561 views, -47% wikimedia · all sites with thisOn Facebook
This site: …https://www.facebook.com/583747968398735 overture · all sites with thisWebsite alive
This site: …http://www.theberkshiremall.com overture / http check · all sites with thisOwnership
Single-purpose entity
This site: Strategic Mall Services (operating as Berkshire Mall LLC) county-parcels · all sites with thisPlace
Bike network nearby
This site: 12 ways openstreetmap · all sites with thisCounty lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -19% census-cbp · all sites with thisLow social vulnerability tract (SVI ≤ 0.25)
This site: 0.20 cdc-svi · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +100% fhfa · all sites with thisScale
Building footprint 50,000+ m²
This site: 75,557 m² overture · all sites with thisStrategy
Redeveloped
This site: Target anchor store extraction · all sites with thisNew use
Housing
This site: …cannabis market, in favor of plans for a complex of 400–600 apartments for older people. extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Partly retrofittedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Partial Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedIn October 2023, it was announced that these plans had been scrapped due to a slowing cannabis market, in favor of plans for a complex of 400–600 apartments for older people. |
| New uses | housingextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | Target anchor storeextracted, unreviewed |
Planning
| Planning notes | In October 2023, it was announced that these plans had been scrapped due to a slowing cannabis market, in favor of plans for a complex of 400–600 apartments for older people.extracted, unreviewed reported |
|---|
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sold | — | Kohan Retail Property Group ← Strategic Mall Services (operating as Berkshire Mall LLC) | Wikipedia |
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | no NFHL polygon at point (unmapped or outside coverage)FEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 4: CVS PHARMACY 17210; HILLS STORES CO; JC PENNEY; TARGET STORE T2127EPA FRS |
| Census tract 25003911100 | 3,033 people, 105 per sq mi; median household income $84,419; median gross rent $1,368; 5% renters; 14.8% vacant units; 0.6% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 6.7 of 20; 2 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.82; 4,739 jobs within 45 min by car; 0% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 1 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 0 schools, 0 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 0 civic, 0 food and drink; 12 cycleway segments, 0 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Berkshire County (MA), 2024 | 10 units in 5+ unit buildings, 9 in 2–4, 108 single-family; 2023: 30 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.20; socioeconomic 0.08; housing and transport 0.30; 9% below 150% of poverty; 0% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Overture Maps | place Berkshire Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.77, from Foursquare, Overture); building footprint 75,557 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Website and social | www.theberkshiremall.com (alive); archived 2001–2026 (Wayback) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 56,811 since 2015; 5,561 in the last 12 months (-47% vs the prior 12); peak 2025-08 with 1,579Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -1% (3,062 → 3,033); median income +21% ($69,651 → $84,419); renters 12% → 4%; median home value +43% ($199,700 → $285,500)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | very low overall (score 19.9); expected annual loss $1.2M; community resilience very highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 7,047 jobs in 547 establishments; average annual pay $41,357; employment location quotient 1.23; employment -2.3% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 712 jobs; 141 in retail trade, 128 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 25003911100)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 47th income percentile as adults; -0.7% incarcerated at the 2010 count (241 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-access at 1 mile, not low-income; 86% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 6.5%; median family income $92,250; 81 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Mount Greylock School District (PK-12); 0 public schools within 1 mileNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 1,047 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 332 county-logged events: 273 thunderstorm wind, 30 flash flood, 14 flood, 9 hail; $2,065,500 property damage reported; 2 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 01237, 2026-09 | median list price $504,000 (+22.3% on the year); 30 active listings; median 127 days on market; 4% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 575 establishments (-19%); 7,738 jobs (-10%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $389,996 (+2% 1 yr, +31% 5 yr); typical rent $1,757/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 376 (2000 = 100), +76% 5 yr, +100% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 15,446 vehicles a day (principal arterial, 2 lanes); 499 trucks; 25 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Berkshire Mall opened in 1988 as a regional shopping center. Over time, anchor tenants such as Steiger's/Filene's/Macy's, Service Merchandise, Ames, and later Regal Cinemas closed, leaving only the Target store open by 2022. In 2023, plans for a 400‑600‑unit senior housing complex were announced after earlier cannabis‑related redevelopment ideas were scrapped.
Why. The decline is evident from successive anchor store losses and shifting retail competition noted in the event timeline. The earlier redevelopment plans were abandoned due to a slowing cannabis market, as stated in the planning notes.
Where it stands. As of 2025, the mall remains partially operational with only the Target anchor store open, under the ownership of Kohan Retail Property Group.
For a planner
- Prior planning notes show a shift from cannabis‑related redevelopment to senior housing, indicating changing policy priorities.
- The site’s access via Route 8 and U.S. Route 7 is documented in the narrative, relevant for transportation planning.
- Open questions include zoning approval for 400‑600 units, infrastructure capacity, and market demand for senior housing in the Berkshire area.
For a developer
- Ownership is held by Kohan Retail Property Group since the 2016 sale, providing a single controlling entity.
- The developer‑facing entitlement stage is at the plan announcement level (2023) for 400‑600 senior apartments, with no further entitlement details in the record.
- Site location advantages include proximity to Route 8 and US Route 7, while site size, environmental constraints, and current vacancy beyond Target are not specified in the record.
What we do not know yet
- Exact parcel size and developable area are not provided in the record.
- Zoning status, environmental reviews, and any flood or transit constraints are unknown.
- Financial viability of the 400‑600‑unit senior housing plan and current debt or encumbrances on the property are not detailed.
- The record is marked as 'draft' verified, and several fields originate from extraction, indicating potential unreviewed or model‑derived information.
- Details about the cannabis market slowdown that led to scrapped plans are not elaborated.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
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- Greendale Mall, Worcester, MA · Malls · opened 1987; closed 2020; same strategy: redevelop
- Silver City Galleria, East Taunton, MA · Malls · opened 1992; closed 2020; same strategy: redevelop
- Terrible's Hotel & Casino, Jean, NV · Other · opened 1987; closed 2020; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Berkshire Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Berkshire Mall - Lanesborough(Pittsfield), MA | Flickr flickr.com
- The Berkshire Mall property may become housing for seniors with plans to demolish the mall, leaving only the Target buil berkshireeagle.com
- Flickriver: Photoset 'Berkshire Mall; Lanesborough, MA' by Th… flickriver.com
- Berkshire Mall berkshiremall.com
- The Berkshire Mall’s Glass Elevator: A Vertical Memory Through 55 Years - NewsBreak share.newsbreak.com
- Berkshire Mall dark once again; owner still $700,000 behind on t… masslive.com
- MallsCenters - US Shopping Malls & Stores mallscenters.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- housing in the record
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
| Opened | 1988Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2019extracted, unreviewed |
| Anchors | Service Merchandise, JCPenney, Sears, Hills (later Ames), Steiger's |
| County | Berkshire County |
| Census division | 1 · New England |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Berkshire Mall was a shopping mall located in Lanesborough, Massachusetts outside Pittsfield. The mall was built in 1988 and closed in 2019. It could be reached from both Route 8 and U.S. Route 7. As of 2025, the mall's one remaining tenant is the Target anchor store.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1988 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1988 Mall opened
- 1994 Steiger's sold to Filene's (later Macy's)
- 1999 Service Merchandise closed
- 2001 Ames closed
- 2002 Building razed and replaced with Best Buy and Linens 'n Things
- 2006 Target opened replacing Ames
- 2016 Sale to Kohan Retail Property Group
- 2019 Mall concourse closed leaving only Target and Regal Cinemas open
- 2022 Regal Cinemas closed leaving only Target open
- 2023 Plans for 400–600 apartments for older people announced
Sources
- Wikipedia: Berkshire Mall (Massachusetts) · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed
14 quoted sentences
The mall was built in 1988 and closed in 2019.
As of 2025, the mall's one remaining tenant is the Target anchor store.
As of 2025, the mall's one remaining tenant is the Target anchor store.
In October 2023, it was announced that these plans had been scrapped due to a slowing cannabis market, in favor of plans for a complex of 400–600 apartments for older people.
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