Livingston's biggest retail anchor is gone.
Livingston Mall, the 59-acre shopping center at 112 Eisenhower Parkway that opened in 1972, has stood fully shuttered since Macy's, its last major tenant, closed in the first quarter of 2026. The closure caps a years-long decline that saw Sears, Lord & Taylor, and dozens of smaller tenants leave in waves, leaving the Eisenhower Parkway corridor without a major retail draw for shoppers in Livingston, Millburn, and Short Hills.
"It was almost like looking at a sinking ship because you knew it was gonna close down soon," longtime Livingston resident Carla Harrilal told NJ.com in December 2025, describing the mall's final years.
Macy's announced in January 2026 that it would close its Livingston location as part of a 14-store national round. Clearance sales began that month.
One bright spot: Barnes & Noble is relocating to a new Livingston location on Route 10, according to Patch reporting on July 19. No specific address or opening date has been announced.
Police warn trespassers away
The vacant property has drawn unwanted visitors. Livingston Police Department Captain Joseph D'Andrea told ABC7 Eyewitness News on June 24 that trespassing at the site had spiked, fueled by social media trends encouraging teens to explore abandoned buildings.
That same day, the township's official account posted a blunt warning: the police department will enforce "zero tolerance for anyone visiting this property with criminal intent," and violators face prosecution that "could result in a permanent arrest record."
A 'bottom feeder' with a 59-acre question
Rutgers University economist James W. Hughes placed Livingston Mall in the "bottom feeders" tier of New Jersey's roughly 25 enclosed malls in a December 2025 analysis, saying such properties "really have no future as regional shopping destinations." The Mall at Short Hills, by contrast, remains in the top tier.
The township has taken steps toward a second life for the site. In October 2024, Livingston designated the property as an "Area in Need of Redevelopment." Town documents show 15.8 acres on the former Sears parcel have been approved for 376 housing units, including one- and two-bedroom apartments and up to 81 townhouses, fulfilling part of the township's state affordable housing obligations.
That leaves roughly 43 acres without a formal plan. Topology, a redevelopment planning firm retained by the township, produced a conceptual aerial rendering of what the remaining acreage could become, but as of December 2025 no site plans had been submitted to the planning board. The mall's owners, Kohan Retail Investment Group and Transformco, have not responded to media requests for comment on the property's future.
What happens next
Livingston Township held community listening sessions after the October 2024 redevelopment designation. Residents who want to weigh in on the site's future can contact the township at livingstonnj.org. No upcoming planning board hearing date for the remaining 43 acres has been publicly announced.
