Approximately 100,000 square feet of ShoppingTown Mall along Erie Boulevard is set to be demolished, and more parking, store fronts and outdoor walkways will take its place in an upcoming effort by Moonbeam Capital Investments, the company that bought ShoppingTown Mall in 2013, to entice new stores in and rejuvenate the moribund mall.

Jim Tull, director of development and management at Moonbeam, presented a site plan review that showed the master plan of the project and outlined the goals behind it at the Feb. 26 meeting of the DeWitt Planning Board.

With major retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Macy’s leaving their locations in the current building, Tull said there needs to be some sort of redesign to entice retailers to the property, something that is not currently working in the current enclosed mall design.

“ShoppingTown has really been going downhill for a number of reasons,” Tull said. “We would love to fill it up with retail but it’s getting apparent this is not going to happen. We’ve come up with some ideas to reduce the retail and make it look nice along Erie Boulevard.”

The project is planned to be done in multiple phases, with Phase 1 being demolition of 100,000 square feet of the Sears wing, with plans to add parking spaces in the area and stores that face Erie Boulevard. This phase also includes plans to have an outdoor walkway in between the main mall and the former Dick’s Sporting Goods store.

Tull said the company is looking to work with the town of DeWitt to receive grants to conduct a feasibility study for the project’s plans. The company probably wouldn’t be able to kick-off the project and start demolition until after possible grants are awarded, which could take up to a year, he said.

In the future, Tull said the company would like to look into the idea of adding a restaurant row in the rear, or southeastern edge, of the property.

Members of the planning board appeared to have a positive outlook about the redevelopment of the property.

“It’s an exciting beginning,” said Peter Webber, board vice-chair.

Sam Gordon, director of planning and zoning for the town of DeWitt, said the town recognizes the need for ShoppingTown to be revitalized and that it is important to retail in the area. “We are interested in working with the owner to make an informed decision about the property,” he said.

The proposal is still in its very early stages, and the planning board will still have to review traffic studies, environmental impacts, design, lighting and stormwater mitigation plans before anything can move forward. Moonbeam has already conducted a traffic study with the New York State Department of Transportation and will send the documents to the planning board, Tull said.

Planning board attorney Jamie Sutphen said they will receive the Onondaga County Planning Board’s comments of the project’s plans and should be able to discuss them by the next meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in the DeWitt town office.

Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].