Valle Vista Mall

Valle Vista Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Harlingen, Texas, off Interstate 2 (Expressway 83) at the intersection of Dixieland Road and Tyler Avenue. It has 651,000 square feet (60,500 m2) of gross leasable area. It is anchored by Gold's Gym, J. C. Penney, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, and Urban Air, with four vacant anchors last occupied by Big Lots, Dillard’s Clearance Center, Rack Room Shoes, and Sears. Sadly the mall has gone viral in recent years for its "void", an area of the mall with no tenants. History The Valle Vista Mall opened in 1983 and was developed by the Melvin Simon & Associates. On December 21, 2008, it was announced that Mervyn's would be closing as a part of a plan to close 62 stores nationwide. In March 2009 it was announced that Circuit City would be closing as a part of a plan. In 2014, Simon Property Group spun off the Valle Vista Mall to Washington Prime Group (now known as WPG). In 2017 Forever 21 closed its location for good due for unknown reasons. On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide. In 2018, Kohan Retail Investment Group had acquired the Valle Vista Mall from Washington Prime Group. In 2019, both Urban Air Trampoline Park and an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet replaced the former Forever 21. In June 2021, Dillard’s (which at the time had downgraded to an Dillard’s Clearance Center) had announced it would close its Valle Vista Mall location. In February 2023, it was reported that Kohan had put the Valle Vista Mall up for sale. It was reported that Valle Vista Mall going to be acquired, but currently, it is unknown whether or not the property was sold. Kohan still lists the Valle Vista Mall on their portfolio as of June 2026. On September 14, 2023, businesses at Valle Vista Mall in Harlingen were left in the dark after a power outage was reported. In January 2024 there were reports from Harlingen residents who have first hand inspected and investigated Valle Vista Mall describing it as being empty, sad and eerie. The map of the Mall has been outdated and the A/C was not working and some remaining stores like JCPenney were using small fans or small A/C units to keep the store running. There was only one restaurant open in the food court, and a section where the Sears used to be was closed off to the public. Security guards keep the Mall open for the remaining few stores that operate, but the local visitors have reported that they can no longer cool off in the Mall and the guards escort people sitting in benches or near the restaurants out of the Mall or constantly call local law enforcement. The Mall has most stores closed and has nearly no tenants. On Feb. 29, 2024 the mall's owners paid $313,409 in property taxes delinquent since Feb. 1, paying $20,503 in late fees, the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collectors office said. Last year, Kohan put the mall up for sale, listing it for $12 million. At the same time the report states that the electricity company in Harlingen cut its power after Valle Vista Mall did not pay the bill again. On January 24, 2025, it was announced that Big Lots would be closing as part of a plan to close 900+ stores nationwide. References