The Mall at Stonecrest is a super regionalshopping mall along Interstate 20 in eastern Metro Atlanta. It is off exit 75 in Stonecrest, Georgia, which separated from the city of Lithonia in 2017, and opened in 2001 on the growing I-20 corridor. The mall's anchors are Dillard's, JCPenney, and Macy's; there were previously a Kohl's and Sears. Attached to the mall on the second floor is a movie theater located in the outdoor plaza near the pavilion food court. Across from the theater on the opposite side of the plaza is Round One Entertainment. Other stores and restaurants surround the mall. new restaurants are opening in the plaza as old ones close. Apartments and condos are also slowly increasing in the area, making Stonecrest a mixed-use community. The mall serves a diverse clientele including blacks and Hispanics, and provides both black and whiteSantas in the period running up to Christmas.
History
The mall was envisioned and planned in the last quarter of the 20th century, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting projected opening dates in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally proposed names included Turner Hill Mall, Interstate East Mall, and Metro East. Several times the project stalled because of developer issues. One land developer had problems getting retailers to commit. The land was cleared several times, and local residents often questioned whether the mall would be built. DeKalb County planners at various times envisioned other things for the area, including a convention center, an outdoor theatre, mid-rise to high-rise apartment units, a MARTA rail station, and a satellite college campus. While the county did construct a library, in the mid-first decade of the 21st century MARTA was still reviewing plans for the east line rail extension to the mall with a proposed new sales tax, and economic development officials were still studying the viability of a convention center in the area is still viable. The goal would be to attract private investment with incentives rather than use public dollars to build. The mall finally opened on October 24, 2001, featuring Dillard's, JCPenney, Parisian, Rich's, and Sears, just like North Point Mall. In 2014, the Mayor of Lithonia, Deborah Jackson, proposed three successive plans to annex parts of what are now the City of Stonecrest. The earliest proposal included much of Lithonia Industrial Park, north of I-20. The final, and largest, proposal would have included much of what is now the City of Stonecrest, including Stonecrest Mall; much of the Stonecrest Regional Activity Center; and Lithonia Industrial Park. Numerous business owners in the Industrial Park banded together to fight the proposals. The City Council of Lithonia created a task force of stakeholders to study annexation. Members of the task force demanded that the mayor, at a minimum, obtain a feasibility study for annexation, as well as demonstrate to owners' satisfaction that annexation would not increase their property taxes. Mayor Jackson could not overcome the stakeholders' objections, and plans for annexation were dropped, thereby making possible creation of the new City of Stonecrest. The cityhood bill went through various legislative hurdles at the Georgia General Assembly and in November 2016 was approved by 59% of voters in a public referendum], with elections and official municipal incorporation in spring 2017. The mall and business corridor were previously served by the South Dekalb Business Association. In 2011, the Stonecrest Business Alliance Incorporated was formed to focus on the Stonecrest Overlay District. With the advent of the new City of Stonecrest, the Business Alliance has extended its membership to all businesses in the city. The sprawling East Metro DeKalb Community Improvement District was created by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in 2014. That CID is chronically underfunded, and has undertaken no projects within the City of Stonecrest other than limited off-duty police patrols in the western fringe of the city. It is proposed to be replaced within the City of Stonecrest by the future Stonecrest CID. In 2006 much of what is now the City of Stonecrest was included in the designation of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area by Act of Congress. The mall is accessible via the Arabia Mountain PATH, which runs throughout the area. Stonecrest Mall is one example of how businesses and residences can be included in a national heritage area unlike a national park. In May 2009, in response to sometimes violent disruption, the management instituted its Parental Involvement Program, whereby anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult after a 4pm "curfew" on weekends, or be forced to leave by mall security. In April 2010, an argument over a parking space led to a stabbing and a shooting. In December 2011, police had to quell a disturbance at the mall on the day of the release of a new Air Jordan limited edition shoe. The mall was to open at 8 AM but at about 7 AM already 200 people were waiting outside. The mall door was pried open and the crowd rushed inside to the door of the store selling the shoes. In January 2013, it was reported that that mall was "beset by debt issues that could leave it vulnerable to foreclosure". On November 2, 2017, Sears announced that their location at The Mall at Stonecrest would also be closing as part of a plan to close 63 stores nationwide. The store closed in January 2018, while the former Parisian and Kohl's building that closed on November 1, 2016 became offices for Atlanta Sports City on October 5, 2017. On March 4, 2017, the mall opened Round One Entertainment, a bowling and amusement center featuring the latest Japanese arcade games, billiards, karaoke, ping pong, darts, and a restaurant with a full service bar.
