NORTHRIDGE : Fourth Mall Garage to Be Demolished

The fourth and final parking garage at Northridge Fashion Center has been slated for demolition, mall managers said Thursday.

Lloyd Miller, general manager, said a garage on the east side of the mall off Tampa Avenue will be torn down within 10 days for safety reasons.

The garage was heavily damaged in the Jan. 17 quake. The rubble of one garage, which collapsed in the quake, has already been removed. The others were left standing, but were structurally damaged.

A garage on the north side of the mall is being removed this week, and last week officials announced the largest parking structure, situated on the west side of the mall, would also be torn down.

Miller said engineers completed an analysis of the garage on Tampa Avenue and found that some of the pillars inside were leaning. Miller stopped short of saying the fourth garage would be impossible to render safe. He said only: “We have some doubts so we are going to remove it.”

The garage was built in 1971 using concrete poured in place, as was the garage on the west side of the mall. The two other parking structures were built in 1988 and 1989 using precast concrete, he said.

Plans are to replace all four garages, Miller added.