Northern Lights Shopping Center

Northern Lights Shopping Center opened in the late 1950s along the highway serving Baden and the surrounding Beaver Valley. At the time, the corridor was associated with Pennsylvania Route 65 and what was then part of Pennsylvania Route 88. The center's location made it a convenient retail destination for communities along the Ohio River and helped it become a principal shopping venue in the area before the arrival of larger suburban retail developments. The complex consisted of three main building sections. The eastern portion, facing the Ohio River, contained the largest department-store spaces, including a three-story J. C. Penney and a Hills discount department store. A northern building housed Sears, while all sections included smaller shops and service businesses. Giant Eagle operated a supermarket at the center and eventually became its most durable major tenant. These anchors gave Northern Lights a broad merchandise mix covering clothing, household goods, groceries, and general department-store products. Beaver Valley Mall opened in nearby Center Township in 1970. Sears relocated there and remained at that mall until its closure in 2016, but Northern Lights continued operating as a substantial shopping center for many years. Its eventual weakening was gradual rather than immediate. The regional steel industry's contraction in the 1980s reduced economic activity, while improved highway access favored Beaver Valley Mall. Retail growth in Center Township, Cranberry Township, and Robinson Township also drew spending away from the older center. J. C. Penney moved from Northern Lights to Beaver Valley Mall in 1998. Around the same period, Hills was acquired by Ames. Ames later liquidated and closed its stores in 2002, leaving Giant Eagle as the plaza's sole major anchor for roughly the next nineteen years. Smaller retailers increasingly departed, and by July 2013 the complex reportedly contained only a limited number of retailers, local businesses, and medical or professional offices. The physical condition of the plaza became a major issue in 2006, when the roof of the former J. C. Penney building collapsed. Zamias Services, Inc., identified in the source material as the then-new owner, demolished the structure because of safety concerns. The loss removed more than 150,000 square feet of leasable area and created a gap between the remaining portions of the center. Ideas for moving tenants into smaller buildings and redeveloping the larger former anchor areas were discussed but did not produce a completed project in the supplied record. Northern Lights was subsequently involved in the site history of an adjacent Walmart. Walmart representatives first considered building within the plaza, but Giant Eagle enforced a lease provision granting exclusive grocery rights at the property. Walmart then focused on a 230-acre hillside behind the shopping center, purchasing land from the estate of Erwin S. Boal after abandoning a proposed location at the former Dixmont State Hospital site. To facilitate access, Economy Borough acquired part of Zamias' parking area and the former J. C. Penney site through eminent domain. Giant Eagle challenged the taking in court, but Beaver County Common Pleas Court ruled against the challenge; the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld the decision in 2009, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear the matter. After transportation permits were obtained in late 2012, construction proceeded and Walmart opened on May 21, 2014. The new store primarily served nearby communities including Aliquippa, Ambridge, Baden, Conway, and Economy. Zamias anticipated that Walmart traffic would help revive Northern Lights, but the center continued to experience vacant and deteriorating sections. On June 26, 2017, Zamias announced that the entire section south of the Walmart access road would be demolished for redevelopment. The area included the former Hills/Ames building. The announcement followed safety citations concerning unused portions of the property and occurred after Zamias had lost another shopping-center property, Pittsburgh Mills, in a foreclosure sale. Demolition began in January 2020. Giant Eagle ultimately closed its Northern Lights supermarket on January 2, 2021. The supplied sources do not establish a definitive current tenant roster, completed redevelopment plan, or final operating status for the surviving portions of the plaza.

• 2021

  Giant Eagle closes

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Giant Eagle closes its Northern Lights location on January 2.

• 2020

  Redevelopment demolition begins

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Demolition begins on the southern part of the plaza.

• 2017

  Southern-section redevelopment is announced

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Zamias announces demolition of the section south of the Walmart road, including the former Hills/Ames building.

• 2014

  Adjacent Walmart opens

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Walmart opens on the hillside behind Northern Lights after construction of a connecting road.

• 2009

  Eminent-domain ruling is upheld

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upholds Economy Borough's acquisition of land needed for the Walmart access road.

• 2006

  Former J. C. Penney building is demolished

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A roof collapse leads to demolition of the former J. C. Penney building and the loss of more than 150,000 square feet of leasable space.

• 2002

  Ames liquidates its stores

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Ames closes its stores after the Hills acquisition, leaving Giant Eagle as the center's only major anchor.

• 1998

  J. C. Penney relocates

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  J. C. Penney moves from Northern Lights to Beaver Valley Mall.

• 1970

  Beaver Valley Mall opens

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The opening of Beaver Valley Mall in Center Township introduces a major nearby competitor; Sears relocates there while Northern Lights continues operating.

• 1950

  Shopping center opens

  [1]Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Northern Lights Shopping Center opens in the late 1950s along the Baden-area highway corridor and becomes a major Beaver Valley retail destination.

A regional community shopping center that historically combined department-store anchors, grocery retail, discount merchandise, and smaller local businesses.

• Department store

  J. C. Penney

  J. C. Penney was the center's long-term principal anchor and operated a three-story department store in the eastern portion of the complex. Its merchandise role included apparel, household goods, and general department-store retail. The store relocated to Beaver Valley Mall in 1998, and its former building was later destroyed by a roof collapse and demolished.

• Department store

  Sears

  Sears occupied the northern section of Northern Lights during the center's earlier period. It moved to Beaver Valley Mall after that mall opened in 1970, leaving the Northern Lights space to later tenants including Big Lots and, subsequently, Giant Eagle.

• Discount department store

  Hills/Ames

  Hills operated as one of the plaza's principal eastern anchors before being acquired by Ames. Ames later liquidated its stores in 2002. The former Hills/Ames building was included in the southern-section demolition plan announced in 2017.

• Supermarket

  Giant Eagle

  Giant Eagle was the center's principal grocery tenant and ultimately its sole major anchor after the department stores departed. Its lease included grocery exclusivity provisions that affected Walmart's initial plans for the plaza. The Northern Lights store closed on January 2, 2021.

• 2017

  Plan to demolish the southern portionStrategy

  Background

  Vacancy, deterioration, and safety citations affected unused portions of the center, including the former Hills/Ames building.

  Action taken

  Zamias announced demolition of the entire section south of the Walmart access road for possible redevelopment.

  Aftermath

  Demolition began in January 2020. The supplied sources do not document a completed replacement development.

  Source

• 2007

  Support for Walmart access-road land acquisitionStrategy

  Background

  Walmart shifted its interest from building within Northern Lights to developing the hillside behind the plaza after Giant Eagle enforced grocery exclusivity rights.

  Action taken

  Zamias gave up part of its parking area and the former J. C. Penney site for an access road obtained through Economy Borough's eminent-domain process.

  Aftermath

  The courts allowed the road project to proceed, and Walmart eventually opened next to the shopping center in 2014.

  • Giant Eagle — Giant Eagle challenged the eminent-domain action and relied on its lease exclusivity provisions, but its legal challenge did not block the road.

  Source

• 2006

  Demolition of the collapsed J. C. Penney buildingStrategy

  Background

  The former J. C. Penney building suffered a roof collapse, creating a safety and redevelopment problem within the plaza.

  Action taken

  Zamias Services demolished the building rather than reopening it, removing more than 150,000 square feet of leasable space.

  Aftermath

  The demolition left a large opening in the center and proposals to consolidate tenants and redevelop adjacent sections did not proceed in the supplied record.

  Source

1. 1Northern Lights Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org