On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Sears would shutter as part of an ongoing decision to phase out of its traditional brick-and-mortar format.

[3] In June 2019, it was unveiled that the previous Sears outpost will transform into a 30 story tower and that the mall had already begun seeking zoning approval.

[citation needed] On July 25, 2022, the News and Observer reported that furniture stores Pottery Barn, Arhaus, and Williams and Sonoma have closed their stores at Crabtree due to the opening of Fenton, a new shopping center that recently opened in Cary, across the street from the defunct Cary Towne Center.

Because the watershed around the mall has become increasingly covered with impervious parking lots the creek floods easily following major storms.

[citation needed] Heavy rains caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto flooded the lower level parking lots of the mall on June 14, 2006, as well as a great deal of the bottom level of anchor stores, forcing the mall to close for the day.

A similar situation occurred with Hurricane Fran in 1996, when flood waters flowed through the first floor of the mall and caused a few stores to remain closed for nearly two months.

Crabtree Valley Mall has been the subject of several mass-panic events involving the mistaken perception of an active shooter due to loud, sudden noises.

[12][13] Similar events occurred in August 2022,[14] as well as both February[15] and November 2023,[16] with each requiring wide-spread lockdowns, extensive police involvement and frequently injuries in panicked attempts to flee.