New Hampshire mall owner seeks partial demolition

A mid-June letter from a property owner to the government of Concord, New Hampshire, involves a request to take down a 452,000-square-foot portion of a partially vacant shopping mall.

The letter from Needham, Massachusetts-based Onyx Partners Ltd. says its redevelopment plan for the Steeplegate Mall in Concord entails keeping 130,000 square feet of existing space standing, as well as two buildings on outer lots that are unattached to the larger mall.

In its letter, Onyx writes that garbage and large debris is now increasingly being left and dumped at the property and unauthorized vehicles are parking and/or abandoned at the property, despite repeated requests to vacate.

According to the property owner, additional problems include vandalism, such as windows being smashed increasingly both on the exterior and interior, plus graffiti and “forceful" break-ins and trespassing.

Onyx also cites arson as “a growing concern,” which has become a commonly cited aspect raised by advocates for demolition activity in cities including Seattle and Beaumont, Texas.

As part of a planned redevelopment process, Onyx has retained THA Architects of Stratham, New Hampshire, to create the demolition plans and architectural drawings for two exposed structural faces of the building that will become exterior walls when demolition is completed.

The property owner says it will need to shut down utility connections, secure the site with construction fencing and locked access gates and test building materials for hazardous substances before making demolition arrangements with a qualified contractor.

“Concrete and asphalt will be recycled for reuse onsite for the redevelopment project,” Onyx says, adding it anticipates the demolition work, once started, can be completed in from 90 to 120 days from final approval of site plan amendment and demolition permit.

Onyx is an equity partnership that has taken part in more than $2 billion in private transactions in 47 of states.