The pending sale puts the closed mall one step closer to demolition, a process expected for sometime in late 2025

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners purchased Macy’s department store and its furniture store buildings and additional acres during its meeting on Tuesday night. The purchase cost $16.5 million and will be funded through bonds from the Urban Redevelopment Agency.

Macy’s offloaded a couple of retail properties in South Florida, selling both for a combined $28 million. Most recently, an affiliate of Columbus, Ohio-based Washington Prime Group paid $15 million for a Macy’s department store at Boynton Beach Mall at 801 North Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach, records and real estate database Vizzda show.

“The acquisition of the Macy's site marks a pivotal step forward in the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall, setting the stage for Gwinnett County to establish a national — and possibly international — model for equitable and impactful transformation,” Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said in a statement.