The Phillipsburg Mall has reopened after a large section of the roof collapsed over the weekend in one of its vacant anchor stores.
How long it stays open is a question. The mall's owner and municipal governments were already considering futures without the Route 22 shopping center well before any structural issues were known.
The Phillipsburg Mall was shut down early Saturday when, amid heavy rain, the roof fell in around a skylight in what used to be Sears, an anchor that closed in November 2017 after nearly 30 years. No one was in the mall at the time of collapse and no injuries were reported.
The mall's Twitter account announced the closing and eventual reopening, but did not state the reason. Mall ownership at Mason Asset Management in Great Neck, New York, did not immediately return a request for comment for this report.
The Sears side of the mall is in Lopatcong Township, where the municipal construction official Joe Rossi observed the damage. He estimated the hole to be 200 to 400 square feet.
The damage inside the Phillipsburg Mall after the roof collapsed in the former Sears Aug. 4, 2018.
The rest of the mall was deemed safe and reopened Sunday.
The next step, Rossi said, is for the mall to bring in a structural engineer for a more thorough assessment. It will be up to ownership to determine if that section of the mall be salvaged or demolished.
Mason Asset Management in February confirmed it was looking for redevelopers interested in the property even as it tried to find tenants for the storefronts. The mall had just lost its second anchor in three months, leaving the 577,000-square-foot shopping center with two.
The two townships on which the mall's property falls -- Lopatcong and Pohatcong -- also are exploring redevelopment options of their own, independent from ownership. Once a plan is formed and accepted by both townships, they will together go to the owners with their vision, Pohatcong Mayor James Kern III said Monday.
It's not clear what direction the townships or the mall's owners may go, whether it will be commercial, residential or some combination. Kern said he believes the property is big enough for more than one concept. Elliot Nassim, president of Mason Asset Management, said in February that "all options are on the table."
That independent processes began months ago, well before any signs of structural issues. Still, these things take time and the mall could remain open for awhile yet. And as Rossi noted: "With enough time and money, anything is restorable."
The question that now hangs over the damaged mall: Is it worth it?
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.