Blue Ridge Crossing is a shopping center located near Interstate 70 (I-70) and Blue Ridge Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri with additional parcels along U.S. I-40 in neighboring Independence, Missouri. It occupies the site of the former Blue Ridge Mall.
The mall opened in October 1958 as an open-air shopping center and included a location of Harzfeld's. H. Roe Bartle, the Mayor of Kansas City, cut the ribbon that officially opened the shopping center.
Blue Ridge Mall had the added distinction of being located in two cities at the same time. The city limits of Kansas City, Missouri and Independence, Missouri bisected The Jones Store Co. on the northeast corner of the store.
During the 1960s, Blue Ridge Mall was the most popular shopping center in the Kansas City Metropolitan area and in 1971, the JCPenney store expanded moving from the south court of the mall to become an anchor store on the west end. With that move, the shopping center was fully enclosed and the hey-day of the Blue Ridge Mall would continue for two more decades.
By the mid-1990s, the Kansas City Metropolitan Area had a 'mall glut' and with the close proximity of two newer enclosed malls within a ten-mile radius, Blue Ridge Mall started to show its age and declining popularity with shoppers. After several ownership changes and a failed attempt at redevelopment when Montgomery Ward suddenly announced its bankruptcy and the closure of all stores nationwide at the close of 2000, the current ownership decided to demolish the old mall and start again.
In 2001, JCPenney closed it store at the mall, leaving The Jones Store. The Jones Store shuttered in 2003, leaving the mall with no anchors.
Tax Increment Financing was obtained from the City of Kansas City and demolition for Phase I began in late 2005 and continued into early 2006. Blue Ridge Crossing opened in January 2007, anchored by a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Other opening tenants included McDonald's, Applebee's, Starbucks, Johnny Carino's Italian, Verizon Wireless, Vintage Stock and Foxy Nails.
Phase II consists of land West of Sterling Avenue, and began construction in late 2012. Phase III consists of land East of Blue Ridge Boulevard on the former site of the Blue Ridge Cinema East in Independence, Missouri.