Great Scott! The ‘Back to the Future’ mall could become a data center
Oh, this is heavy, Doc . The Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California, is better known to fans of Back to the Future as the Twin Pines Mall. That, in case you haven’t watched the film lately, is where Marty McFly and Doc Brown were chased by terrorists, unhappy that Doc had taken their stolen plutonium. It was an actual shopping mall when the film was shot, but like so many malls across America,…
The Puente Hills Mall, once the iconic Twin Pines Mall from the 1985 film Back to the Future, is now considered an underutilized property in Industry, California. The mall, originally built in the 1970s, has struggled to attract shoppers in recent years. Recently, property owners have floated two proposals for the vacant mall—converting it into either two warehouses with a potential data center or a mix of industrial/commercial development, including a warehouse or warehouse-plus-data-center complex, all while preserving a bus transit station and surface parking.
Local residents, however, are vehemently opposing these plans, fearing the data center could exacerbate air pollution, noise levels, and utility costs in the community. The group cites the mall as a cherished third space for residents to gather outside of home, work, and school. One protester, Falynn Love, recalls meeting her future husband at the mall in 2001.
While some California cities have adopted data center moratoriums, Industry is not among them, as the city is 92% zoned for industrial use. City officials have already approved zoning changes that could permit data centers and battery energy storage systems throughout the area, making it more challenging for opponents to thwart the development.
Despite its storied past in the film, the future of the Puente Hills Mall remains uncertain, with no DeLorean available to restore it to its former glory.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
