T.J.Maxx headed for Ames Mall?
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The former Ames mall building on the Barre-Montpelier road may be targeted for a new T.J. Maxx retail store. The space has been empty since Ames went bankrupt in 2002. |
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By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: November 14, 2009
BERLIN – A new roof is coming soon to the vacant Berlin storefront that last housed an Ames Department Store.
More importantly, a new store could soon follow, and rumors are that it's going to be T.J. Maxx.
For now, the prospect of a new retailer moving into the half-vacant Barre-Montpelier Road strip mall is still very much up in the air.
So says Bruce Tamarkin, vice president of property management for Redstone Investments, the Ohio-based owner of a plaza that is now anchored by a Price Chopper supermarket.
On Friday, Tamarkin downplayed rumors that T.J. Maxx could soon be doing business on the Barre-Montpelier Road.
"We don't have any signed leases for that building yet," Tamarkin said. "We're confident we can make something happen, but nothing has been signed."
Although Tamarkin did not specifically name T.J. Maxx, that retailer was mentioned in preliminary conversations with state and local permitting officials earlier this year.
According to Town Administrator Jeff Schulz, the idea of leasing the vacant Ames space to T.J. Maxx was pitched as part of a proposal that included a modest expansion of Price Chopper, some exterior façade changes, and a possible upgrade to the parking lot that could include additional landscaping.
"They wanted to know whether they would need any kind of permit," explained Schulz, who said his take at the time was that the review should be minimal given that plans to expand the supermarket would occur within the existing footprint of the strip mall. Based on his understanding of what was being proposed at the time, Schulz said the local review would focus mostly on a relatively routine permit for any modifications to the parking lot and approval for a new illuminated sign.
Schulz said the call from Redstone Investments came several months ago and though he subsequently received an inquiry from a sign company, he has yet to receive anything in writing.
"I have not seen any permit requests from those folks at this point," he said.
District 5 Environmental Coordinator Edward Stanak shared a similar story of a months-old inquiry about whether an amendment to the shopping center's Act 250 land-use permit would be needed if the supermarket were expanded, the Ames space was subdivided, the façade updated and the parking lot modified.
Stanak, who doesn't like to deal in hypotheticals, said he never received a formal request for a jurisdictional opinion and one was never issued. However, on the narrow question involving a potential change in tenants, he pointed to an earlier opinion that concluded no amendment was needed in a similar case with the Berlin Mall's permit when Walmart moved into the vacant storefront that was originally occupied by Rich's Department Store.
Although Tamarkin declined to discuss specifics of the potential redevelopment of the shopping plaza he didn't deny efforts to fill a 64,000-square-foot storefront that has been vacant since the Ames Department Store chain went bankrupt in 2002.
"There are all kinds of things in the works," he said.
For now Tamarkin said the first order of business is replacing the aging roof over a section of the mall that was slated for demolition to make room for a new Home Depot just last year. Home Depot subsequently decided against the new store, which was planned as the economy went into a nosedive.
"It's shot," he said of the roof.
Work on the roof started recently, as well as the repaving of the entrance to the plaza, bolstering the belief that the development company had moved past plans for a free-standing Home Depot and was looking to upgrade and lease existing retail space in the 126,568-square-foot complex. It also fueled speculation about T.J. Maxx.
A spokeswoman for T.J. Maxx would not say if the retail chain is interested in opening a store in central Vermont.
"We are not in a position to confirm that a new T.J. Maxx store will be opening in Berlin … at this time," Annmarie Farretta wrote in an e-mail response to a question from The Times Argus. "For competitive reasons, it is our practice to officially announce store openings when the stores are ready to open."
T.J. Maxx operates more than 800 of its discount department stores nationwide – including four in Vermont, located in Burlington, Middlebury, Rutland and St. Albans. There are none in central Vermont.
However, signing another anchor to fill the storefront formerly occupied by Ames is only one piece of the redevelopment plans that were outlined in telephone conversations earlier this year.
Expanding Price Chopper within the footprint of the existing building would require the relocation of the Dollar Tree – the 12,060-square-foot store that is located right next door to the 46,508-square-foot supermarket. Moving the Dollar Tree could be accommodated reasonably easily by expanding the vacant 4,000-square-foot storefront that last housed The Medical Store. That would mean using roughly 8,000 square feet of the former Ames Store.
Assuming that is the plan, that would leave approximately 56,000 square feet of retail space for T.J. Maxx or some other tenant.
Tamarkin put no timeline on discussions with current and prospective tenants of the shopping center.
"We'd prefer sooner than later," he said. "Whether some of it, or all of it, happens we don't know yet."
david.delcore@timesargus.com
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