Concept Plan for Granite Run Mall Presented by BET Investments

Retail

The concept plan includes the anchor stores of JC Penney, Boscov's and Sears staying in place with the interior of the mall being demolished to create a type of courtyard or main street with more retail and parking in the center of the anchor stores and interconnecting the three anchor stores to the new retail.

Markman said many retailers have reached out to BET about bringing their businesses to the property as soon as it was purchased. Starbucks and four different movie theater companies were just a few, he said.

"We want to create an environment where people can cross patronize," Markman said. "They can have dinner, go to the movies, and then go shopping."

The one-million-square-feet of current retail space, would stay close to the same, Markman said. 

Kohl's, Acme, Sears Auto and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, along the outer edges of the mall will also stay, Markman said, as they are each under a long term lease and BET does not have control over them. 

The strip of retail currently in front of the movie theater, which would now be in front of a proposed apartment building, would be enhanced but remain retail, Markman said.

Residential

Apartment buildings would also be included in the plan. One building would be configured where the current AMC Movie Theater sits and another would be put on what is now a vacant space, where Chi-Chi's Restaurant once stood years ago.

The apartment buildings, with one- and two-bedrooms units, are currently proposed to be four-stories high, with one having 220 units and the other having 165 units, plus parking.

Markman said the rental apartments would be high-end with granite counter tops and stainless steal amenities, along with facility amenities like a gym and would be pedestrian friendly to the main street retail area. He said they would be different but similar in quality to Dublin Terrace, a BET apartment building in Upper Dublin Township.

Markman said he expected young professionals and retirees to rent the apartments and did not expect many families with children to live there since the units would not be marketed to families.

Green and outdoor space was also throughout the plan with outdoor seating for restaurants and other gathering. 

Traffic

There are currently no plans to change the access points to the property, however, Clelland said they would consider it. 

Traffic studies would definitely be done as the project moves forward, Clelland said, and they would look at how to make the property more pedestrian friendly around the mall as well as crossing Route 1. 

"Promoting pedestrian traffic is a key element to the project," Markman said.

Timeline

Demolition of the mall's interior could start anywhere from one to two years from now, Markman said, and once construction begins the project could take about one to two years to complete. 

The anchor stores would remain open during the construction, Clelland said, and they are working out a plan on how to handle the interior stores that want to stay at the property. 

"We'd like to keep the tenants that want to stay," Markman said. 

The property is currently zoned B-2 for a major shopping center and zoning changes would be needed to move the project forward, which will likely be the next steps.