HILLSBORO, Texas (KXXV) — The once-filled and beloved Hillsboro Outlet Mall will be demolished in May.
- It will cost the city a little over a million dollars to tear down the mall.
- A demolition party will take place April 17th-20th.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Last night, the city of Hillsboro announced the demolition of the outlet mall on social media. The post garnered over 100 comments from our neighbors.
One neighbor wrote:
"Bittersweet, but I'm excited."
Another wrote:
"When we moved there in 1999, the Mall was full and thriving. But it has sat there empty for far too long. I now live in San Antonio but spent 22 years living in the area."
With all the online buzz, our 25News crew headed to Hillsboro to talk to some of our neighbors. The demolition announcement leading to residents as young as 11-years- old and up with lots of feelings.
"I don't really feel bad about it," 11-year-old Jessica Aguilar said.
Jessica comes to the mall often with her mom, and her favorite store is one of the few standing. She said that as long as her main store stays open, she feels okay about the demolition.
"We come here about two times a week when we're bored at home," Jessica said.
So here's the plan: they'll demolish about 75% of the mall, leaving around 20 stores up for leasing. But unlike Jessica, one long-time shopper, Gibran Jimenez, is saddened by the news.
"I feel heartbroken pretty much. I used to come all the way from Corsicana and spend the whole day just running around shopping with several family members and even getting some clothes occasionally," said long-time shopper Gibran Jimenez.
Jimenez isn't the only one with good old memories. Another neighbor went to social media and wrote this:
"So many memories at this mall. School clothes shopping, walking around for the fun of it, trick or treating, Monday Review initiation, and many others!"
City Manager Megan Henderson said it was time for the mall to go.
"We all had our first jobs there. I have friends who worked at the mall for a year. I have friends who worked at the mall for 30 years. This was huge for us. We loved it…it is over. Not just our mall but lots of malls are over," Megan Henderson, city manager of Hillsboro, said.
Henderson said the decision to demolish the mall was something they knew for years. They plan on tearing down the northern part of the mall. The demolition will range from around a million to a million and a half dollars.
But for Jimenez, the news is still hard.
"It's like letting go of something you had for a while," said Jimenez.
