Northwoods Mall and the car-first crossroads
Northwoods Mall is at 2150 Northwoods Boulevard, where Northwoods Boulevard and Rivers Avenue meet, and the turning lanes are always busy.
From the street, it is clearly made for drivers: wide parking lots, many entrances, and a low building designed to bring people in from US 52 and keep them inside.
The mall opened in 1972 as a fully enclosed regional center, the first built for the South Carolina Lowcountry…