Regency Properties, which owns Southwind Plaza, is providing various means of support to the tenants of the shopping center and the local Mount Vernon, Indiana community in the aftermath of a severe, EF3 tornado that touched down near its property.
Southwind Plaza is the primary retail center in Mount Vernon, Indiana. The grocery-anchored center totals 85,595 square feet and its primary tenants include Price Less Foods, Ace Hardware, Dollar General and Dollar Tree.
“In communities like Mount Vernon, retail shopping centers like Southwind Plaza are critical for the surrounding areas,” Roger Brauser, Director of Construction, Regency Properties. “We arrived on site quickly to help assess and minimize damages, and to assist tenants in getting back open and operating as expeditiously as possible.”
On July 9, the EF3 tornado caused major damage to the shopping center ranging from power outages to roof and HVAC damage. Over the course of several days, primarily on Thursday and Friday, July 11 and 12, and extending over the weekend, Regency Properties’ personnel were on site with city and county inspectors, the tenants, and contractors, among others, assessing damages, starting repairs and participating in inspections prior to restoring power to each tenant’s space.
Ace Hardware, Rent One, Price Less Foods, Dollar Tree, Tequila’s have all reopened to the public.
“We are grateful that there were no life-threatening injuries in the Mount Vernon community, surrounding communities and at Southwind Plaza,” said Kevin Hammett, President and Chief Executive Officer, Regency Properties. “We are deeply committed to supporting the County Seat Communities we serve and will always work diligently with our tenants and communities to respond quickly and professionally when devastating events like a tornado occur.”
According to the National Weather Service, an F3 tornado is defined as a severe tornado with wind speeds ranging from 158 to 206 miles per hour. A tornado of this magnitude can cause severe damage with roofs and walls being torn off well-constructed buildings, trains overturned, trees and forests uprooted, and heavy cars lifted off the grown and thrown.
About Regency Properties
Founded in 1949, Regency Properties specializes in acquiring, renovating, and managing shopping centers in small and mid-sized communities. Regency owns over 6.15 million square feet of retail shopping center space in 19 states. The National Commercial Real Estate Customer Service Award for Excellence recognizes Regency as an industry leader in tenant satisfaction.