Taunton’s Silver City Galleria slated for demolition

TAUNTON, M.A. (WLNE) — Developers are looking to demolish the Silver City Galleria mall in Taunton and build something new in its place.

All stores inside the mall are have been closed for nearly a year. The structure may be torn down as soon as February.

The once bustling mall originally opened in 1992 but is now boarded up and barricaded.

Dozens of stores had been leaving the mall in recent years with few of them being replaced by anything new.

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen malls just kind of becoming a thing of the past,” said Taunton mayor, Shaunna O’Connell on Friday.

“But I always say you have to look at the opportunity that’s presented ahead,” Mayor O’Connell continued.

The mayor tells ABC 6 that investor, Chris Carney, and developer, Billy Thibeault, are working to secure permits to demolish the massive structure.

ABC 6 reached out to both Carney and Thibeault but have not heard back from either.

Mayor O’Connell says several ideas have been proposed to take the malls place including industrial warehouses, or a distribution facility. However, nothing is set in stone just yet.

“The thing that we are most interested in is creating as many jobs as possible so we have economic opportunities for our residents and this region,” O’Connell told ABC 6 Friday.