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Square Southtown team tells Effingham council legal delay has stalled mall takeover but plans a scaled "Plan B"

City of Effingham City Council · December 16, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Developers behind the Phillips Square/Southtown mall told the Effingham City Council they prevailed at auction but an appellate stay has delayed closing; they described building deterioration, tenant losses and a revised phased redevelopment plan emphasizing entertainment and boutique retail.

Developers bidding to redevelop the Phillips Square (Southtown) mall told the Effingham City Council that legal delays have postponed their planned acquisition but that they remain committed to a phased revitalization.

"Our goal remains local ownership by Square Southtown," presenter Scott Gabbas said during a presentation to the council, outlining a vision that would reuse existing anchors, add entertainment options and reserve space for future health-care services.

Presenters said the city prevailed at auction last November but that the closing has been delayed by an appeal in the…

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