Moreno Valley officials said the city’s mall reopened on Thursday morning, after two weeks of being closed to the public.
The mall was shut down last month by the city’s fire department for hundreds of safety violations. Fire Marshall Jesse Park shared during a presentation to the city council last week the mall had issues with sprinkler systems, emergency lighting and backup generators.
On Wednesday night, City Attorney Steven Quintanilla said the mall was allowed to reopen after its owners corrected most of the violations. But Quintanilla said the mall’s owners have agreed to terms that require them to make long term changes or risk getting shut down again.
Under the terms signed by both sides, the mall needs to have fire watch guards to monitor two of the mall’s fire rated doors, while they’re permanently sealed. Onsite emergency generators must be restored, repaired or replaced 90 days from March 4.
If the owners fail to replace or fix the doors by March 31, the mall will be closed again, according to the agreement.
In a statement, Mayor Ulises Cabrera said he was pleased to see the mall was back open. “I’m glad that many will now be able to reopen their businesses, return to their jobs and get back to serving our community.”
On Wednesday morning, some residents tried to enter the mall, but it was still closed. Tony Hernandez, spokesperson for the mall and a small business owner, said the city’s closure of the mall has hurt workers and their families.
“All the employees cannot pay the rent, cannot feed their families because of what is happening here. And I think they should have a little consideration for these people,” said Hernandez.
Sheena McGill, who also represents the mall, said the owners paused rent for tenants during the mall’s closure.
“The owner is doing what he knows is the right thing to do.”
