The City of Mason City has been working over the last few years to take the once vibrant Southbridge Mall and reposition the building for the enjoyment and benefit of the public over the next few decades. These efforts have included the investments in the Principal Pavilion, the River City Riverwalk, the Mason City Arena, and the construction of the new Home2Suites.
While malls across the country waned after the era of big hair, Southbridge Mall still offers many opportunities due to its size and location in our community. Downtown has experienced a resurgence with the private and public investments and many people in the community have speculated about “What’s next?” for the space. The activity of the arena and plaza area are creating traffic and interest in the spaces available in the mall, but there is still a big need to chart a direction for the mall.
Accordingly, the Greater Mason City Chamber has assisted the city in organizing a community conversation to help guide these discussions and ensure the city is working to bring about the desires of the community with the repositioning of the mall. As part of this effort we ask the community, “What should this place be when it is developed and how do you think we should get there?”
As a public servant, I often participate in listening sessions and community engagement, and I know we have a lot of public interest on this topic. Let’s turn the interest into engagement, and I urge the community to assist in this process and help make sure that the path for our downtown is guided by their thoughts.
Written by: Aaron Burnett, City of Mason City