City of Elk Grove, Howard Hughes' Outlet Collection at Elk Grove - Love Lies Bleeding

Elk Grove Ghost Mall abandoned malls in America


April 30, 2017 |  

If nothing else can be said about the Lent Ranch Mall, Elk Grove Promenade, and Outlet Collection at Elk Grove, there have been plenty of false restarts and broken commitment dates. Almost from that day in late July 2008 when construction came to an abrupt halt, city officials and anyone with an interest in the ghost mall held out hope.

City officials took to the media outlets ranging from the defunct Elk Grove Online, to TV station KCRA to tell residents, prosperity is just around the corner. Of course, all of these dates spoken of in the media or from the Elk Grove City Council dais have come and gone. 

There have been so many statements when Elk Grove Ghost Mall will open that it is easy to lose track of them. Nonetheless, there is another projected opening date quickly approaching for the Outlet Collection at Elk Grove.

While the other dates were mostly from politicians, this date comes from none other than the owner of the unfinished outlet shopping center, the Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC).  

Starting about one year ago, at about the same time the deal to sell a portion of their parcel to the Wilton Rancheria for their $400 million casino resort blew open, HHC erected a couple of signs telling Elk Grove, Yes, We Love You, and we will have the facility open in 2017!

Then Elk Grove Mayor Davis took to Twitter (see below) to show that progress was being made. Davis, you may recall expressed confidence telling KCRA in 2014 the ghost mall could be open by 2015. 

Much like a smooth-talking con artist gigolo skywriting Marry Me for their dowager mark, HHC put these signs up at the moribund shopping center, now known as the ghost mall, proclaiming their love for all to see.  

Moreover, to further show their love, an HHC representative appeared last October before the Elk Grove City Council to say Yes, We Love You and we hope to consummate things by October 2017. cont. below.



Much like the con artist who worked their victim, the sky writing love proclamation got blown quickly away in the wind. There are no indications of the resumption of construction or the approved demolition at the Outlet Collection at Elk Grove, and like the con artist's mark, Elk Grove will be left standing at the altar come October.

Not surprisingly, the Love signs installed by HHC last May, now lie broken and tattered.

We cannot help but think of Elton John's Love Lies Bleeding to describe not only the signs but the disfunctional relationship. 

For those of us who remember Elton's seminal album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, undoubtedly recall that Love Lies Bleeding was the back half of another song. The song preceding it, Funeral For a Friend, may well describe the next phase of the Elk Grove Howard Hughes "Love" saga.  



    







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