Over the past few weeks we’ve been talking about the future of the mall on this blog. It’s a topic that I’m very interested in.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published an article talking about the trend of converting retail/shopping facilities to logistic centers. 

Here’s an excerpt:

“In Mesquite, Texas, FedEx Corp. next month will open a 340,000 square-foot distribution facility on what once was the site of the former Big Town Mall. Located along U.S. Highway 80 in Texas, the mall declined after newer malls were built nearby. It was demolished in 2006 and the land was later rezoned for industrial use.”

It turns – and we’ve talked about this – that good retail locations are also good distribution locations. They are usually located close to humans and infrastructure.

Here’s another example from the article:

In North Randall, Ohio, Amazon.com Inc. is considering the site of the former Randall Park Mall as a fulfillment center, according to Port of Cleveland, a local government agency focused on spurring job creation and economic growth in Cuyahoga County. Amazon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

For a short time when it opened in 1976, Randall Park Mall was the largest shopping center in the world and had been “a thriving heartbeat” for the local economy, according to Mr. Davis. But the mall closed in 2009 as stores struggled with fewer shoppers.

Assuming this trend continues and people continue to buy things online, one has to wonder about the placemaking that should or needs to happen in these areas.