Karcher Mall gets New Owners, Could See Big Changes

Opened in 1965, Nampa's Karcher mall is Idaho's oldest shopping mall, but it could soon see some major changes. According to the Idaho Statesman, the 367,000-square-foot mall at 1509 Caldwell Boulevard was recently purchased by Rhino Investments of Livermore, CA.

In an interview with the Statesman, CEO of Rhino Investments, Sanjiv Chopra, said, "We realized this is a great market to be in and grow with, and we want to make some great things happen here."

Speaking of growth, the Statesman claims that since 2010, Nampa's population has doubled, to 102,000. And anyone that calls Nampa home, according to Chopra, "knows this spot." So, the CEO says that changes could be coming to accommodate the growth.

The plan for Rhino Investments is to have some of their larger tenants to move to other areas of the property, bring in additional "big box" tenants, and develop the area behind the mall into a "multifamily housing complex and an extended-stay hotel." However, the biggest change will be in the way the "mall" will look. There are plans to "get rid of its interior walkways, demolish a third of the store space and transform it into a lifestyle center more like The Village at Meridian."

According to the Statesman, there are already some companies that have "expressed interest in possibly locating at the center." A Hispanic grocer and a fitness center are among those.

So, how quickly will you see the changes? According to the Statesman, Chopra says, "it will take three to six months of planning and then in six months you should start to see some activity happening.”

We'll keep you posted on any updates!