Carrolltown Center - Blogger Speaks Out
July 2, 2009
Eric Villard

It's no secret residents' feelings about the dilapidated state of Carrolltown Center are mixed. To some there is disappointment, for others anger, and still others have hope that it will improve.

Recently an anonymous blogger with the handle of Eludius brought the mall debate online with his admittedly satirical "Carrolltown Mall Update" blog entry. While the blog entry itself is more of a personal attack on Black Oak Associates, which owns the mall property, the discussion that follows it sheds light on the situation and offers solutions to a problem that, with recent Carroll County Times press coverage, has become more well-known.

What's the hold-up?

Many residents put the blame on Kmart when it comes to Black Oak's inaction. Kmart, owned by Sears Holdings Corporation, holds a lease for the property. Black Oak had originally wanted Kmart to shrink or close its store, but the company refused. Kmart also refused to say how well the store was doing financially compared to other area department stores, but residents have drawn their own conclusions.

"I am perplexed by Sears / Kmart situation. and why they would let this store continue to produce abysmal sales and reflect poorly on their brand yet stay open," said Ross Dangel, a member of the Freedom Area Citizens' Council (FACC). "I am surprised that the low sales alone at this store, which are reported to the be lowest on the east coat, haven't drawn management's attention to order the store closed."

Dan Rogers, Eldersburg resident and president of the Hilltop Estates Homeowners' Association, went so far as to encourage a boycott of the department store. "What we should do is get the community to boycott Kmart. If people stop using Kmart then they might leave," he said in a comment on the aforementioned blog.

Dangel agreed that a boycott, while not necessarily succeeding in having a material impact on Kmart, could be effective. "I personally feel that the attention should be focused on Kmart," he said. "My experience has shown that every time the word 'boycott' gets mentioned anywhere in the local press, Kmart's PR people seem to jump into action and get senior management involved."

"Unfortunately, this is usually just a temporary situation and they end this activity by accusing Black Oak of lowballing the buyout offers. which from my perspective seems like they are stalling and not serious," Dangel added.

A FACC petition penned last year asking for an expeditious resolution to the Black Oak / Kmart stalemate and commencement of mall renovations has gathered over 1,000 signatures thus far.

"I don't think Sears / Kmart gives a fig about our community, but I know on the contrary that Black Oak, as a local company, has deep roots in our community and cares about the quality and success of retail in our area," Dangel said. "In fact, their revenue depends on it."

The mall's current state

The blog showed the various signs of disrepair that surround the mall, from dead arbor left standing on islands in the parking lots to tree limbs lying in unused parking spaces around the mall's perimeter. The pavement around the mall is cracked in a number of places, while a myriad of signs meant to deter loiterers are placed around the structure. Of particular note in the blog was a photo a splintered young evergreen being held together with duct tape.

Some residents fear that the dilapidated mall attracts crime. Ross Dangel explained that Eldersburg's first National Night Out event, which promotes crime awareness and prevention, was being held a Carrolltown Center partially because of the public's view of the crime rates there. "Like a broken window, having a degraded retail property attracts crime and keeps customers away," he said.

Dan Rogers sees it a bit differently, "The mall area could be better, however, it is currently not as bad as some people say and there have been dramatic improvements in the crime statistics as shown in last weeks article in the Times."

The Carroll County Times recently published crime statistics of the mall from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. According to these statistics, the number of crimes has remained constant over the past three years, averaging at about 44 crimes per year. Of these, only a small percentage was related to burglaries, thefts, assaults or shoplifting. The majority of crimes were labeled as miscellaneous, such as parking complaints or suspicious persons.

What to hope for?

Some residents are calling for complete demolition and reconstruction of the mall. Eludius wrote in a comment on his blog entry, "They [Black Oak Associates] don't need tenants. They need to rebuild. Higher-end retailers. are not interested in a mall of this failed 1970's configuration."

Dangel said he hopes for something that would give Eldersburg more identity. "I personally can't wait for it to be redeveloped into a town center type development," he said. "As much as I'm not especially keen on shopping centers being town centers, it's better than what we have now in Eldersburg, which is nothing."

And as far as views on the more immediate future, mdduckman, a commenter on the blog, had this to say about the FACC petition and the mall. "I'm upset the signatures didn't have an affect on either Black Oak or Kmart / Sears, but at least we got people involved, and hopefully we can take more steps to let both parties know that we, as residents of Eldersburg, deserve better."

Links:

Carroll County Times mall coverage:

Crime article:
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/06/28/news/
local_news/ 2carrolltown_center_renovation.txt

Article on residents' desire to renovate the mall:
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/06/28/news/
local_news/ 1carrolltown_center_renovation.txt

Black Oak Associates, Web site: http://www.blackoakusa.com/

"Carrolltown Mall Update" blog entry:
http://votenomalley.blogspot.com/2009/06/carrolltown-mall-update.html

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