COLUMBUS, Ind. (WTHR) - The city of Columbus is finalizing plans to buy the Fair Oaks Mall and turn it into a community recreational and sports tourism complex.
The Fair Oaks Community Development Corp Board will close on the $5.9 million purchase this Friday. The remaining stores in the mall will operate as normal next year as the board finalizes plans for the complex.
Those plans could include turf fields for any number of sports, as well as space for cooking classes, the arts and more. Some of the existing stores, such as Durham Sports, may not have to leave the mall, officials said.
The mall currently sits mostly empty, with only 30 percent of its stores occupied.
The multi-million dollar project is partnered by Columbus Regional Hospital and the Heritage Fund Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.