Northridge Mall was co-developed with the nearby Northridge Lakes development, a residential development consisting of a mix of inventive multi-family residences, in concert with a planned northern beltline freeway which would have connected the area to the rest of the Milwaukee area.

[4] The mall declined within the decade after, as the freeway revolts of the 1970s ended up cancelling the north freeway intended to complete the Milwaukee beltline, leaving those intending to go to Northridge on miles of the surface street Brown Deer Road from Interstate 43 and U.S. 41/45 to access the mall; other closer shopping options had been developed in the ensuing decades along the completed freeways in formerly rural areas, and the Brown Deer strip in each direction from the mall had developed a number of disparate and cluttered retail developments with very little continuity or theming.

Crime around the general area also increased to a smaller extent, but alarmism of those crimes in what was a suburban area in the local media, along with the lingering effects of the Anderson case despite its resolution, decreased the mall's clientele, as suburban shoppers chose other options with easy freeway access such as Mayfair, Brookfield Square, and newly developed power center shopping options in Mequon, Menomonee Falls, and Grafton.

[6][7] In April 2014, the Chinese investment company which purchased the mall, U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group, retained ownership by making a last minute payment halting a foreclosure auction that might have allowed Penzeys Spices to take ownership of the property.

[12] On the evening of July 22, 2019, a maintenance contractor was fatally electrocuted while investigating an open fuse box at the mall.

[15] In the summer of 2022, a rash of four arson fires occurred around the mall, with Black Spruce only securing holes in the roof with common drywall, a situation that has Aaron Lipski, Milwaukee's fire chief, fearing for the lives of his firefighters, as the mall has no working fire suppression or prevention systems, and the building's breadth requires all battalions on the city's northwest side to respond, putting the rest of the community at risk.

[22][23] On December 8, 2023, Governor Tony Evers granted the City of Milwaukee $15 million to demolish the mall.

Through a long court battle, the City of Milwaukee has been able to obtain the portion of Northridge Mall that was previously owned by U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group.