The St. Louis County Port Authority announced on Thursday that they have selected a company to remove hazardous waste from the site of the former J.C. Penney and Macy’s at the Jamestown Mall.
St. Louis based Environmental Management Alternatives, Inc. will begin the work in August and was selected through a proposal process.
According to St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, any waste or hazardous material must first be removed before demolition work can begin on the property.
The St. Louis County Port Authority, was created to bring resources to various communities and has agreements with four of the five original owners of the Jamestown Mall Properties.
“We are currently in negotiations to acquire the remaining Jamestown properties,” Sheila Sweeney, CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership said in a written statement. “Once that happens there will be several opportunities for community input as we move forward to create new life for the Jamestown property.”
The Jamestown Mall is located in Florissant and was open for 41 years until it was closed in July 2014.
According to St. Louis County’s website, the mall was closed due to the decline of shoppers’ changing buying habits, the recession, and the rise of new area shopping plazas closer to the interstate.