Waiting at the mall

May 25--SPRINGFIELD -- Nine months after Gateway Mall's owner approached city officials about a massive redevelopment of the aging shopping center, many tenants say they're still in the dark about what will happen and when.

Most retailers say that they've received no firm word from the mall's management about when construction will begin. While some tenants say they've been told they will be part of the renovated mall, others are still awaiting word about their future.

Several tenants have left, either because mall managers let their leases expire or because they've lost patience with the uncertainty.

Remaining tenants say business has been slower, with fewer and fewer shops to attract customers.

An analysis by The Register-Guard shows fewer than half of the more than 70 interior retail spaces identified on the mall's online directory are occupied. The tally doesn't include the two movie theaters and the anchor tenants at the outer edges of the enclosed mall: Cabela's, Kohl's, Sears and Target. Just two eateries, 100% Fresh and Natural and Subway, remain in the mall's food court.

Jeff Wellman, owner of Oregon Sports, said mall officials told him a couple of weeks ago that his store would move north to the corridor near Sears and construction would begin shortly thereafter.

"We are staying in Gateway," he said. "There are going to be announcements soon. It should be starting here late this summer or early fall."

Other mall tenants complained the mall owner, Rouse Properties, and its management team have done a poor job informing them about the project.

Julie Melton, the owner of Crafters' Alley, said she's been told her store can remain until her lease expires in June, and she's started to look for a new location.

"With all the talk of the remodeling, a lot of people don't come here as more and more stores leave," she said.

Process has slowed

City Planner Andy Limbird said the project approval process was moving along at a rapid clip around Christmas as the mall owner had paid extra to speed up the review and approval of its development application. Mayor Christine Lundberg touted the project in her State of the City address in January, saying work would begin "very soon."

But the process has slowed significantly since then, Limbird said.

The city gave final approval to the mall's amended site plan in early March. It is waiting for the mall owner to send back a signed development agreement so officials then could begin issuing building permits.

Limbird said he last heard that the mall owner was "contemplating further revisions" to the approved plan but had no further details.

Meanwhile Rouse Properties, the mall's New York-based owner, remains mum on its plans.

"We are excited about the future of Gateway Mall and are committed to its long-term success," a company spokeswoman wrote in a recent email. "We are in the process of finalizing the necessary approvals and design plans. We look forward to sharing more details on our plans in the coming months."

She declined further comment. Mall manager Skip Sandgren also declined to comment for this story.

Plans filed earlier with the city show Rouse would largely gut the mall, including the food court and the discount 12-screen theater, and add space for several large retailers while keeping the existing, major anchor tenants. The mall's northern corridor between Hometown Buffet and Sears also would be retained.

One change between the initial and approved plans is that the remodeled mall will no longer have an open-air corridor leading to Cabela's with small stores on each side. The corridor will be enclosed instead. Limbird said the mall owner made the change after the city raised concerns about removal of the fire sprinkler system in the ceiling.

Some leaving

With details of the proposed remodel up in the air, some tenants have already departed the mall and set up shop elsewhere.

Hytrek's Jewelers was a tenant at the Gateway Mall for more than 18 years until it moved to Coburg Road near Oakway Center last month.

Jeweler Jason Dean said mall managers gave the store the option to end its lease early or move to the north end of the mall during construction.

Dean said the store worried about losing customers who weren't aware of the move and described the northern end of the mall as a "dead zone."

The mall's other jewelry store, Harry Ritchie's Jewelry, plans to remain at the mall and take up a temporary location near Sears starting in September before moving back to its current location when construction is finished. It has been at the Gateway Mall since the mall opened in 1990.

"There's a lot of question marks," company President Sean Ritchie said. "It seems like it (the remodel plan) has been evolving."

More of Everything, a local business that sells car racing collectibles, moved to Main Street and 21st Street in downtown Springfield on April 1, after the mall let the store's lease expire.

Owner Brian Bach said business has been good in the new location so far, although he does miss the stream of mall employees who bought snacks at his store.

He said mall tenants were in the dark about the remodel of Gateway Mall.

"Everybody there was just waiting to find out what's going to happen," he said.

The Living Dead, a local business that sells horror-themed games and collectibles; Southerland Insurance and some former vendors at The EuGenius Market, also have moved from the mall to Main Street in Springfield.

Other tenants have gone over to the competition: Valley River Center.

Justin Field, owner of video game retailer Pixel Battles, said he was on a month-to-month lease at Gateway Mall but decided to leave rather than face the uncertainty.

"They were trying to keep us around until they decided we were not going to be around," Field said. "They were really hush-hush about their plans."

Field said he would be interested in opening another store at Gateway Mall if his business is in a position to expand in the future.

Lane Bryant and Motherhood Maternity also have moved west. Candy Tyme closed last week and will follow due to the drop in business, the family-owned company's regional manager said. Tree of Life has merged its Gateway Mall store into one at Valley River Center.

The remaining tenants are left to wait out their leases, or for final word on where they'll be moving within the mall before the wrecking ball arrives.

In the meantime, business is slow, said Nadina Barrett, an employee at Bumper Zone family entertainment. "There's not a whole lot to do until we get a lot of people in."

What's in store for Gateway?

The Register-Guard contacted the remaining tenants at the Gateway Mall in recent weeks to find out if they have learned whether they will remain at the mall after the proposed remodel is completed.

While some employees and managers at the stores said they'd received firm word, others still didn't know. Some stores didn't respond or referred a reporter to their corporate offices, which didn't respond to phone and email messages.

WHO IS STAYING

Aroma Cafe

Activate Cellular

Cabela's

Cinemark 17

Claire's

Diamond Wireless

Famous Footwear

GNC

Harry Ritchie's Jewelers

Hometown Buffet

International Fitness

Kohls

Nails Now

Oregon Sports

Ross Dress for Less

Sears

Spencer's Gifts

Target

WHO IS LEAVING

Crafter's Alley

Lolita's

Movies 12

Northwest Beds and Home Furnishings (recently consolidated)

WHO DOESN'T KNOW

100% Fresh and Natural

Bumper Zone

MasterCuts

Payless Shoe Source

Subway

WHO HAS LEFT

Candy Tyme (moved to Valley River Center)

Hytrek's Jewelers (Coburg Road)

Lane Bryant (Valley River Center)

More of Everything (Main Street, Springfield)

Motherhood Maternity (Valley River Center)

Pixel Battles (Valley River Center)

Radio Shack (store closed)

Southerland Insurance (Main Street, Springfield)

The EuGenius Market (some vendors moved to downtown Springfield, downtown Eugene, other locations)

The Living Dead (Main Street, Springfield)

Tree of Life (merged with existing store at Valley River Center)

NO RESPONSE

Chuck E. Cheese

Cry Baby Ink

Epris

GameStop

Maurices

Oregon National Guard Recruiting Center

Tilt

Quick Opinion Center

U.S. Army and Marine Recruiting Center

"With all the talk of the remodeling, a lot of people

don't come here as more and more stores leave."

-- Julie Melton, owner of Crafters' Alley at the Gateway mall, on the mall's future

___

(c)2014 The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.)

Visit The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.) at www.registerguard.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services