Some Dallasites remember the Valley View Center fondly as a place where families bought kitchen appliances at Sears, Roebuck & Co., and the area around what is now LBJ Freeway and Preston Road was made up of cotton fields.
Earlier this month, the Valley View Center caught fire. The cause is still reportedly under investigation.
On Wednesday, the site was designated by the City of Dallas as a “habitual criminal property,” officials confirmed to daltxrealestate.com.
The “mall,” which once boasted an AMC movie theater and anchor stores of Sears, JC Penney, Macy’s, and Dillard’s, is now vacant and, by all accounts, “dead.”
“When I was in high school, Valley View Mall was still nice,” said Little Casa View resident John Burton. “The theater there was great. Such a shame that a great location like that is like it is now.”
The “habitual criminal property” designation, established in 2017 under a nuisance abatement ordinance, is intended to increase property owner accountability in reducing crime.
The city has the right to fine, investigate, and mandate upgrades to the property owned by Beck Ventures, according to a report from Sharon Grigsby of The Dallas Morning News.
Grigsby wrote that a Feb. 22 letter from Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia cites five cases of criminal mischief and five cases of criminal trespass at the vacant property, more than half of which occurred in the past 12 months, and more than enough to trigger the “habitual criminal property” designation.
“The nuisance abatement process begins after five documented ‘abatable’ criminal activities occur at a property during a 12-month period,” according to a 2021 Dallas Observer report. “At that point, the property goes under review. The owner or their representative is given a notice to meet with police and the Dallas City Attorney’s Office to prove they made attempts to reduce crime on their property before the preliminary designation. It’s an offense to not attend this meeting.”
We’re continuing to follow this story and will update it as more details become available.
