Planners reject storage units at mall

A Use Permit on Review request to use the vacant former JCPenney building as a climate-controlled self-storage unit was denied by the Pine Bluff Planning Commission earlier this month.

Applicant Khanh Tran said he wanted to convert the store located at the mall into an indoor climate-controlled storage facility, which was supported by Southeast Arkansas Regional Planning Director Larry Reynolds. After several people showed up to speak against the conversion and some members stated their own opinions against the idea, the commission unanimously voted against the proposal.

Driving almost five hours to attend the meeting was Felix Waller, owner of Apex Cinemas who purchased the old Walmart building on the south end of The Pines mall two years ago. Waller felt storage units would degrade that property.

“My concern is I made a large investment into that property,” he said. “When you take a large facility like a JCPenney that is connected to all of that, in my opinion, it’s degrading that property and that area with storage units. We are missing a huge opportunity for investors to see what the potential and vision could be for Pine Bluff.”

Apex Cinemas, which has luxury-style theaters in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, purchased the building for an estimated $450,000, according to Jefferson County real estate records in the assessor’s office in 2020. Waller’s plans were to transform the vacant 90,000-square-foot space into a high-end multi-screen movie theater and entertainment location that would be a foundation and staple of growth.

During the meeting, Waller said prior to the covid-19 pandemic he had a lot of plans for the location and is currently back in the planning stages again for bringing entertainment to Pine Bluff.

Waller said he has been working with other investors who are interested in bringing retail and restaurants to the area, but everyone is just waiting to see what will happen to the mall.

Although the mall is thought of as one facility under one owner, that is not the case. According to Reynolds, there are five independently owned anchor stores surrounding the mall.

“Those stores are Dillard’s, former Sears, former Walmart, former Stage and the former Penney’s,” he said. “Not only is The Pines mall fallen under demise, so have many malls across the country.”

The Pines has been closed since 2020 and, according to former mall owner Judy Vu, is in possession of the Cameron

Appraisal Group of Highland Village, Texas. Vu confirmed the mall did not sell during a recent auction.

“I see the mall and whole area as a huge piece of bringing entertainment and retail and restaurants to Pine Bluff,” said Waller. “Approving something like storage units is taking a step backward instead of a step forward.”

Council member Steven Mays Sr. also spoke against the storage units, stating “it is a bad idea.”

“I’m totally against it,” said Mays. “I don’t think the storage units would be a good idea for the city of Pine Bluff.”

Mays mentioned the lawsuit that ties the former mall owners James Vu, Thuytien Vu, John Vu, Theresa Vu and Cameron Appraisal Group with Rain Investments LLC, owners of the Saracen Cinema 8. Steven Mays Jr., the councilman’s son, and Okorie Ezieme are the partners with Rain Investments.

The Arkansas Court of Appeals last week affirmed a Jefferson County Circuit Court ruling to stave off an injunction it had previously issued against the owners of The Pines that would have allowed Mays Jr. and Ezieme to gain access.

Mays Sr. said theater owners have a good reputation and business plan, but due to the neglect of the mall, people have broken into it, which has affected their efforts to revitalize their movie theater.

Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington and Go Forward Pine Bluff Executive Director Ryan Watley also spoke against the proposal for various reasons.

Washington said in trying to bring in a first-class movie theater along with restaurants and family entertainment, putting in a storage unit would be detrimental.

“A storage unit is more industrial and commercial, and we’re trying to maintain this space for retail and restaurants,” said Washington.

Reynolds said two indoor climate-controlled storage facilities exist within Pine Bluff. One is located on 28th Avenue near the railroad track and the other, following planning commission approval, is located in the former Walmart on Camden Road.

“Although not specifically listed as a Use Permit on Review, this request could fall under the Other use as deemed appropriate by the planning commission,” Reynolds said in his staff recommendation report. “This type of use is typically low traffic volume, and since no outside storage is mentioned, it should not detract for any retail surrounding uses should any decide to locate on the property.”

Washington, however, feels it will deter investors who are interested in building residential spaces in the mall area.

“People are interested in bringing residential spaces into the mall area, but putting a storage unit out there may change all of that,” Washington said to the planning commission. “This will set us many steps backward in recruiting and attracting those businesses. The recommendation is to bring them in but with all respect, I do ask you not to honor this request.”

Watley agreed with Washington and said not only has he been working very hard to draw investors to that area, but the storage units countered the Comprehensive Master Plan passed by the planning commission and approved by the Pine Bluff City Council.

“In that plan, it talks about revision, development and how to adjust zoning,” said Watley who compared the vision to the residential and retail revitalization at University Mall in Little Rock.

“They cleared that whole area,” Watley said, seeing the same vision for the Pines mall area. “It’s a vast area and this plan articulates what the vision and the plan of that area is.”

Tran, who purchased the JCPenney building for $465,000 in January, said he has no idea what will become of his investment now. Though disappointed with the outcome, Tran told The Pine Bluff Commercial that he understood the position of the mayor and others, and was told the mall may possibly sell and would wait until he hears from the new owner of the mall.

“If there is going to be a new mall owner, I will wait,” said Tran. “I will do what is in the best interest of the new mall owner.”