The City of Middletown has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for possible partnership on the Towne Mall Redevelopment Project. The RFQ was issued on Wednesday, Feb. 19 and the deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 19.
“We are excited to proceed in the next step towards the redevelopment of the Towne Mall site with the issuance of this Request for Qualifications,” Acting City Manager Ashley Combs said. “With the Towne Mall site being a major gateway into the City, we are looking for the best partner for us to fully maximize this incredible opportunity to bring something to Middletown that will boost the economy, enrich lives, and make Middletown a better place to live, work, and play.”
The purpose of the Towne Mall Redevelopment RFQ is to find a development entity with the vision and experience to create a signature redevelopment effort and who will work with the City in a public-private partnership to fully execute and complete the agreed proposal.
Before the RFQ was issued, a community survey was taken to help shape and guide the redevelopment effort. According to survey results, 75 percent of respondents said they would like to see some sort of retail or service commercial use. This includes entertainment, shopping, restaurants, and family activities. In addition to the survey, a Town Hall at the Towne Mall open house event was held in December, which allowed city staff to directly interact with the community to discuss ideas, interests, and considerations using poster boards and conversations. These results similarly reflected the online survey. The full results of the online survey are available upon request.
The Towne Mall Galleria was built in 1976 as a supermall which hosted a variety of retail businesses large and small throughout the years, primarily anchored by McAlpine’s, Elder-Beerman, and Sears. Like nearly every mall in America, the retail footprint at Towne Mall began to decline with the advent of the digital age and online retail. Sears and Elder-Beerman closed operations around 2010 and the small retail ventures continued to decline until fully extinguished during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the only remaining business within the mall that continues to serve the public is Planet Fitness, which will be included in the redevelopment.
In 2024, the City of Middletown purchased the vacant portions of the Towne Mall, its adjoining parking areas, and the Planet Fitness location from a third-party ownership with the intent to redevelop the site. In total, this City-owned property encompasses ~380,000 square feet of building space on roughly 32 acres across four parcels.
Following the RFQ deadline, a committee will assess the submissions and select a developer who has the best match to the City’s vision for the site. A pre-development negotiation would follow resulting in a development plan approved by City Council.
To view the RFQ, visit the City’s BidView page at https://secure.cityofmiddletown.org/bidview/.