Woodville Mall sold for $800,000 to N.Y. company

The interior of the vacant Woodville Mall now has severe water damage, says Northwood City Administrator Bob Anderson.

The new owner of the Woodville Mall isn’t sure what he will do with the dilapidated Northwood structure, and said he’s in the process of weighing all options.

“We don't have a concrete decision yet,”said Soly Ghalchi, who runs New York-based Ohio Plaza Shopping Center LLC.

According to a filing with the Wood County Auditor, Ohio Plaza Shopping Center bought the mall for $800,000 on Dec. 27. Mr. Ghalchi, who said he owns shopping centers across the nation, declined to elaborate on his plans for the mall or his other holdings.

The Andersons Inc. announced late last year that it would close its general store in the shuttered mall by the end of February. The mall’s interior entrance has been sealed off for years and its former owner was in default on the property.

No maintenance has been done at the 43-year-old structure for more than a year. The Andersons cited the mall’s poor condition as the reason it was closing its store.

Northwood City Administrator Bob Anderson said he hopes the structure is demolished. He’s toured the inside and said it has suffered severe water damage and is probably beyond repair.

“I thought I would run into a Jurassic Park type thing with wild vines and big spiders,” he said.

Mr. Anderson said the area could house another commercial space.

“An empty field would almost be more marketable than the proverbial white elephant,” he said.