The owners of Northgate Mall in Colerain Township are nearing completion of the first phase of their up-to-$40-million renovation and are moving forward on the next phase, even if it doesn't include anchor J.C. Penney.
Officially, the Penney chain hasn't notified Northgate owner Feldman Mall Properties of its plans, mall manager Jerry Weller said.
But he said Feldman is aware that the department store chain has submitted plans to Colerain Township to build a 100,000-square-foot store in the open-air Stone Creek Towne Center shopping center, which is under construction just up the street at Colerain Avenue and Interstate 275.
Feldman bought the 1.1 million-square-foot mall in 2005.
Other anchors in the 1.1-million-square-foot mall are Macy's, Sears and Dillard's.
Penney, which is developing more free-standing locations, closed its Tri-County Mall store in 2005 when it opened a store at the Bridgewater Falls shopping center in Fairfield Township.
Frank Birkenhauer, assistant Colerain township administrator, said the concrete for the new Penney store, expected to open late next year, was poured last week. Other stores committed to the 400,000-square-foot Stone Creek mixed use project include Meijer; Old Navy; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Justice, a teen apparel chain; and Cacique, a Lane Bryant lingerie store.
"We're moving forward with our renovations with or without J.C. Penney," said Weller.
The first part of the renovations to the mall have included new mechanical systems, interior lighting, painting, an enclosed children's play area and redone space in the Macy's wing of the mall.
Weller said Feldman is negotiating with several possible tenants he declined to name to occupy planned streetscape spaces on the north and south sides of the mall in the next phase.
The likely scenario would involve a multiplex theater occupying much of the Penney's space along with other, smaller anchor tenants. That would free up the Northgate Mall Theater on an outparcel at the north end of the mall site for a restaurant or other development.
Weller said Northgate wants to at least double the three restaurants now on the site.
The mall renovations are expected to be completed in 2008.
