Malls · Michigan
Summit Place Mall
Opened 1962. Closed 2009. Redeveloped.
Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
What it becameofficeextracted, unreviewed reported
Site size74 acresextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit yearNot yet retrofittedstatus reported
Walkability8.7 of 20 · 15-minute 4 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNo · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
Reach the owner Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this recordhttps://retrofitatlas.org/malls/mi/waterford-township-summit-place-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 profile20 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Former anchors
J. C. Penney
This site: J. C. Penney wikipedia · all sites with thisJCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with thisMontgomery Ward
This site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with thisSears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with thisOwnership
Single-purpose entity
This site: SD Capital LLC county-parcels · all sites with thisPlace
Grocery within 800 m
This site: 2 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisHigh social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)
This site: 0.76 cdc-svi · all sites with thisHigh tornado risk
This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with thisLower-income tract (< $50k)
This site: $38,634 census-acs · all sites with thisOpportunity Zone
This site: 26125145900 hud-oz · all sites with thisRenter-majority tract
This site: 58% census-acs · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +103% fhfa · all sites with thisTract income flat or down since 2013
This site: +2% census-acs · all sites with thisPolicy tool
Rezoning
This site: …rezoning of much of the property to include housing extraction · all sites with thisTax abatement or incentive
This site: …rezoning of much of the property to include housing tax abatement The proposed redevelopment called for demolition of half of extraction · all sites with thisScale
1M+ sq ft GLA
This site: 1,300,000 sq ft esri-closed-us-malls-2014 · all sites with this60+ acre site
This site: 74 acres extraction · all sites with thisStrategy
Redeveloped
This site: extraction · all sites with thisNew use
Housing
This site: …e mall, and the rezoning of much of the property to include housing. extraction · all sites with thisOffice
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedThe site is set to be redeveloped into a business center called Oakland County Business Center. |
| New uses | officeextracted, unreviewed reported |
| Redeveloper | ARi-El Enterprisesextracted, unreviewed reported |
Planning
| Zoning change | rezoning of much of the property to include housingextracted, unreviewed documentedState legislative action in 2005 resulted in a law that would allow the owners of Summit Place to receive a tax abatement for redevelopment of the site. The proposed redevelopment called for demolition of half of the mall, and the rezoning of much of the property to include housing. |
|---|---|
| Public purchase or subsidy | tax abatementextracted, unreviewed documentedState legislative action in 2005 resulted in a law that would allow the owners of Summit Place to receive a tax abatement for redevelopment of the site. The proposed redevelopment called for demolition of half of the mall, and the rezoning of much of the property to include housing. |
| Entitlement year | 2005extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Planning notes | The proposed redevelopment called for demolition of half of the mall, and the rezoning of much of the property to include housing.extracted, unreviewed reported |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Sold | — | ARi-El Enterprises ← Namco Financial | Wikipedia |
| 2002 | Sold | — | Namco Financial ← General Growth Properties | Wikipedia |
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 19: AMOCO OIL CO; CITGO PETROLEUM; CNS HEALTHCARE; DICK SCOTT KIA CANTON INC; DOLLAR GENERAL #10877EPA FRS |
| Census tract 26125145900 | 2,693 people, 2,914 per sq mi; median household income $38,634; median gross rent $931; 58% renters; 5.8% vacant units; 0.8% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 8.7 of 20; 64 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.64; 84,394 jobs within 45 min by car; 14% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 4 of 6 daily needs: 2 grocers, 1 schools, 1 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 0 civic, 6 food and drink; 4 cycleway segments, 45 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | yes, tract 26125145900 (rural)HUD |
| Housing permits, Oakland County (MI), 2024 | 961 units in 5+ unit buildings, 55 in 2–4, 1,870 single-family; 2023: 530 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.76; socioeconomic 0.64; housing and transport 0.42; 31% below 150% of poverty; 16% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 10 within 25 km: Pontiac Centerpoint Campus – Central (3.2 km)computed |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 82,658 since 2015; 4,757 in the last 12 months (-12% vs the prior 12); peak 2016-04 with 1,828Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -3% (2,774 → 2,693); median income +2% ($37,971 → $38,634); renters 63% → 57%; median home value +66% ($108,300 → $179,800)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively low overall (score 30.7); expected annual loss $780,212; high: tornado; community resilience very highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 69,758 jobs in 4,802 establishments; average annual pay $46,445; employment location quotient 0.98; employment -2.5% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2021 | 1,014 jobs; 183 in retail trade, 53 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 26125145900)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2021 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 38th income percentile as adults; 4.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (295 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 25.3%; median family income $62,863; 358 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Waterford School District (KG-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Momentum Academy; Oakside Prep Academy; Donelson Hills Elementary School; Virtual Learning Academy ConsortiumNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 979 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 209 county-logged events: 160 thunderstorm wind, 29 hail, 11 flash flood, 4 flood; $24,912,500 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 48328, 2026-09 | median list price $264,950 (-12.8% on the year); 73 active listings; median 32 days on market; 28% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 4,461 establishments (-9%); 70,092 jobs (-0%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $365,826 (+2% 1 yr, +22% 5 yr); typical rent $1,726/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 278 (2000 = 100); +11.8% 1 yr, +49% 5 yr, +103% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 25,599 vehicles a day on N Telegraph Rd (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 1,228 trucks; 35 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
| Site metrics | 17,568 sq ft GLA per acre; FAR 0.4computed |
Summary, model-written
Summit Place Mall opened in 1962 as Pontiac Mall, the first enclosed mall in Michigan, and was expanded in 1987 and 1993 to over 1.4 million square feet with about 200 inline tenants and six anchor stores. Competition from the nearby Great Lakes Crossing Outlets (opened 1998) and anchor closures—Kohl’s in 2009 and Sears in 2014—led to declining occupancy. The mall was demolished starting in 2019 under a redevelopment plan calling for office use and housing‑oriented rezoning, supported by a 2005 entitlement and tax abatement.
Why. The decline is visible in the record as anchor store losses (Kohl’s 2009, Sears 2014) and increased competition from the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets opening in 1998. These market pressures, combined with the owner’s redevelopment strategy, prompted demolition and the planned office conversion.
Where it stands. The site is now demolished and is controlled by ARi‑El Enterprises, the most recent owner listed in the record (owner from 2018 onward).
For a planner
- Policy tools used: tax abatement (public subsidy), 2005 entitlement for redevelopment, rezoning to allow housing.
- Precedent: partial demolition of the mall and rezoning for mixed‑use (office/housing) similar to other suburban mall conversions.
- Open questions: feasibility of office demand on a former retail site, integration of housing with existing traffic patterns, and any unresolved environmental or flood‑risk constraints.
For a developer
- Site size: 74 acres with 1.3 million sq ft GLA (FAR 0.4).
- Control: ARi‑El Enterprises holds title (owner since 2018); entitlement granted in 2005 for office redevelopment.
- Entitlement stage: zoning change approved for housing, strategy set to office, public subsidy (tax abatement) in place.
- Constraints: context layers do not specify flood, transit, or environmental limits—these are unknown from the record.
- Market signals: opportunity score 50/100, cited strengths are the closed/demolished status and large 74‑acre parcel.
What we do not know yet
- Exact demolition completion date and current site conditions (remaining structures, utilities) are not detailed.
- Floodplain, transit access, and environmental constraints are absent from the context layer.
- Post‑demolition ownership chain after ARi‑El Enterprises is unclear; no recent transactions are recorded.
- Market demand for office or housing in Waterford Township is not provided in the record.
- Several fields (e.g., year_closed, acres) are marked as model‑extracted and unreviewed, indicating potential data quality issues.
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
- Villa Italia Mall, Lakewood, CO · Malls · similar size (104 acres); similar GLA (1,400,000 sq ft); opened 1966
- Cinderella Mall, Englewood, CO · Malls · similar size (60 acres); similar GLA (1,400,000 sq ft); opened 1968
- Eastland Mall, North Versailles, PA · Malls · similar size (57 acres); opened 1963; closed 2007
- Lafayette Square Mall, Indianapolis, IN · Malls · similar size (80 acres); similar GLA (1,200,000 sq ft); opened 1968
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Summit Place Mall / Pontiac Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and state only, check the city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Summit Place Mall - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia alchetron.com
- 1989 Summit Place Mall Commercial: Thom Sharp youtube.com
- Summit Place Mall -2 commons.wikimedia.org
- Future lights up for old Summit Place Mall – The Oakland Press theoaklandpress.com
- Summit Place Mall Michigan 4.bp.blogspot.com
- Trip to the Mall: Summit Place Mall- [Waterford Township (Pontiac ... triptothemall.blogspot.com
- Summit Place Mall, Waterford — Stores, Map & Hours | Oc… getoccupi.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- 74 acres
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 | 1962Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2009extracted, unreviewed documentedThe entire mall closed, except for the three remaining anchors, on September 10, 2009. |
| Acres | 74.0extracted, unreviewed |
| Gross leasable area | 1,300,000 sq ftEsri 2014 layer reported |
| Stores at peak | 177Esri 2014 layer reported |
| Original developer | A&W Management (later known as Ramco-Gershenson and now known as RPT Realty)extracted, unreviewed documentedThe mall was built by A&W Management (later known as Ramco-Gershenson and now known as RPT Realty) |
| Architect | A. Arnold Agree, son of Detroit architect Charles N. Agree |
| Anchors | Service Merchandise, JCPenney, Sears, Kohl's, Hudson's/Macy's, Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, Hudson's (later Marshall Field's, then Macy's) |
| Address | Telegraph & Elizabeth Lake Rds. |
| County | Oakland |
| Census division | 3 · East North Central |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Summit Place Mall, originally Pontiac Mall, was a shopping mall in Waterford Township, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1962 as the first enclosed mall in Michigan, it was built on a 74-acre (30 ha) site. After expansions in 1987 and 1993, it comprised more than 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) of retail space. At its peak, it had approximately 200 inline tenants and six anchor stores: Hudson's, Sears, J. C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, Service Merchandise, and Kohl's.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1962 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1962 Opened as Pontiac Mall
- 1972 Sears store built north of property
- 1983 Renovation plans announced
- 1987 Expansion announced adding 470,000 sq ft
- 1998 Great Lakes Crossing Outlets opened nearby
- 2002 Sold to Namco Financial
- 2005 State legislative action for tax abatement and rezoning for housing
- 2009 Kohl's closed
- 2014 Sears closed
- 2019 Demolition began
Sources
- Wikipedia: Summit Place Mall · supports: acres, original developer, public subsidy, status, strategy, year closed, zoning change
17 quoted sentences
The entire mall closed, except for the three remaining anchors, on September 10, 2009.
it was built on a 74-acre (30 ha) site.
The mall was built by A&W Management (later known as Ramco-Gershenson and now known as RPT Realty)
Demolition on the mall began on May 7, 2019.
- Esri StoryMaps: Closed_US_Malls feature layer (2014) · 2014-10-02
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