Page 9 - BusinessWest April 14, 2021

Dave Thompson says the COVID-19 vaccination site has brought additional foot traffic to the mall.
change of that area from residential B to resi- dential C should help these efforts. As noted, 276 units are being eyed for land on the east side of the property, with 23 buildings of 12 units each. Meanwhile, that JCPenney site could be retrofit-
“We’re looking for a long-term tenant, but the trouble now is trying to find retail tenants that will take on 125,000 square feet; right now, they are few and far between.”
ted for senior housing, student housing, or relat- ed types of uses, he noted.
As for other components of the live/work/ shop puzzle, Breidenbach said the Diem Can- nabis project could provide several of those qualities, including jobs and some retail that would bring more foot traffic to the site, possibly inspiring still more retail. The hope, and also the expectation, is that, as pieces to the puzzle come together, the broad Eastfield site will become more of a destination — for many different constituencies.
For inspiration when it comes to what’s pos- sible, this region can look to another Mountain Development project, this one at the Eastern
Eastfield Mall
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another retailer, but if not, we’d would certainly be open to office, residential, or medical uses,” he said, adding that JCPenney moved out nearly a decade ago, and there have been a number of short-term tenants in the interim. “We’re look- ing for a long-term tenant, but the trouble now is trying to find retail tenants that will take on 125,000 square feet; right now, they are few and far between.”
While dealing with the short-term and imme- diate answers to the many questions hovering over the mall, the main focus is on the long term,
said Briedenbach, adding that the facility will obviously become mixed-use in nature, with that mix still being a work in progress.
The goal is to create a facility where individu- als can live, work, shop, eat, and attain needed services, he noted, adding that the pieces to
this puzzle will come together over a number of years, depending on the appetite of the develop- ment community.
The east side of the property, which runs along Kent Road, is being eyed for residential development, he said, adding that a recent zone
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FEATURE
APRIL 14, 2021 9
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BusinessWest