Citadel Mall redevelopment progressing

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Citadel Mall’s transformation into a mixed-use development continues to unfold as the Medical University of South Carolina and the mall’s owner make progress on their respective projects.

“When this thing was built in the ’70s, it was built by institutional money,” Citadel Mall owner Richard Davis said, referring to mall developers from outside the area. “It was owned by institutional money up until the day we took over. We’re not that smart, we’re not that unique, but what we’re the best at is taking a forgotten asset in our backyard and breathing new life into it and transforming it.”

MUSC unveiled a temporary storefront inside the mall announcing its musculoskeletal facility, part of what it’s calling MUSC West Campus, on Tuesday, as well as renderings of the new space, which is expected to open next fall.

The health care system announced late last year that it would open a facility at the mall in the former J.C. Penney Co. store location.

“What people want from health care — first, they want it to be real convenient,” said Dr. Patrick Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health and university vice president for health affairs. “The second thing is they want to be near the activities they do every day. So a lot of people come to the mall every day, and as this mall revitalizes, there’ll be more people coming here.”

MUSC West Campus will include a wide array of services, including an ambulatory surgery center; an imaging center; ear, nose and throat doctors; lab services; physical therapy; primary care; and a spine center.

“Maybe if you need to see a big team, you probably need to go downtown,” Cawley said. “But there’s a lot that can be done out here.”

According to MUSC’s lease with the mall, Davis’ company Trademark Properties and MUSC are splitting the $32.9 million cost of renovating the space.

Cawley said other health care systems across the country have similarly installed health care facilities near malls — such as Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s site at the One Hundred Oaks Mall in Nashville, Tenn., and the Southeastern Health Mall Clinic at the Biggs Park Mall in Lumberton, N.C. — which has helped bring new life to the shopping centers.

“We feel pretty good that the concept is a solid one, and just given Charleston’s growth and given that this is right in the middle of the West Ashley revitalization, we think that’s another reason that this will do well,” he said.

Cawley said staffing decisions for the MUSC West Campus are ongoing, adding that some staff will be transferred from downtown and MUSC might be creating new positions for some of the services offered.

MUSC is also planning to open its children’s ambulatory campus in North Charleston in the spring, an ambulatory surgery center in Mount Pleasant in the summer, and the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion in the fall.

Davis said now that MUSC’s project at the mall is underway, he’s going to push ahead on the Epic Center, the event space he’s planning. He said the goal is to open the Epic Center within a few months of when MUSC West Campus fully opens.

“We let them (MUSC) go first,” Davis said. “Otherwise we would’ve had our facility go up, and … I don’t think it would’ve gave as much power or statement as what you’re seeing today. They’re the five-star recruit, they’re the known commodity.”

Mayor John Tecklenburg thanked City Council members and members of the West Ashley Revitalization Commission for their work on developing a new vision for West Ashley, part of which is to turn the Citadel Mall into a mixed-use property.

“It’s just going to lead to a real fruition of this vision for West Ashley, for its revitalization, that we’ve all been talking about for years,” Tecklenburg said.