Via Properties, the Turkish investors, also bought the Lake Square Mall last year from Mike Kohan, and are looking to invest in the property.
Kohan held that mall for only 6 months.
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New owner has big plans for Lake Square Mall
Brett Le Blanc / Daily Commercial
Projects being planned for Lake Square Mall
An outside restaurant development.
A "fun zone" for all ages.
A new sign with a digital screen on U.S. Highway 441.
An inside fountain in the center court area near Belk.
Renovations to the mall's food court.
Key Dates
March 17: Kohan Retail Investment Group closes on the mall, buying it from Macerich.
September 2: The mall comes under Turkish company Via Properties with a sale closing on this day.
October 20: Painting on the inside of the mall starts.
December 9: Painting of the mall's exterior front and sides begins.
Posted: Friday, December 19, 2014 6:00 am
Austin Fuller | Staff Writer austin.fuller@dailycommercial.com | 0 comments
The company that bought Lake Square Mall in September hopes to turn the property into a lively destination with an outdoor restaurant complex and a “fun zone.”
“We were looking (for) something we can improve,” said Cenk Hayirlioğlu, country manager for Via Port U.S.A.
Hayirlioğlu said the restaurant zone outside the mall would look like a downtown and would feature restaurants that are not already in the area.
Drawings are being done for that project, and construction could start in June or July, depending on permits, according to Hayirlioğlu.
“Anytime that you bring anyone into this area, into this mall area, even if it’s in the parking lot or in the mall itself, it will definitely help generate business,” said Linley Bowyer, the store manager at Belk.
There are also plans to add a “fun zone." Hayirlioğlu offered few details about what the fun zone would entail but said more information will emerge later.
“It’s going to be different for the area,” Hayirlioğlu said. “We are planning to draw the people in the area, in all age groups.”
The fun zone could occupy the now-closed J.C. Penney store, although the company is also looking for new tenants, such as a sporting goods store.
Lake Square Mall is the first U.S. property purchased by Via Port U.S.A., which is under Turkish company Via Properties.
“This is now our baby in America,” Hayirlioğlu said.
If the baby grows, the company will be a brand in America, he said.
“We want to improve it,” he said. “We are looking for (a) success story here.”
Sandi Moore, executive director of the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, believes Via Properties will do whatever they can to make sure it succeeds.
The improved property, however, will no longer be named Lake Square Mall. The company plans to incorporate the name Via Port into the mall's title and is considering nomenclature like “Via Port Leesburg” or “Via Port Florida,” according to Hayirlioğlu.
The name will change with the arrival of a new digital entrance sign.
Moore applauds the name change.
“Right now, that name doesn’t necessarily have a good reputation,” Moore said.
Painting of the mall’s exterior started last week.
"This is just the beginning,” Hayirlioğlu said.
However, Hayirlioğlu said it is not just about spending money.
“We want to bring spirit to this mall,” he said.
Leesburg Assistant City Manager Michael Rankin, who oversees economic development, called the project a great opportunity to take “a senior part of our community," breathe new life into it and build excitement.
“We’re 100 percent on board,” he said. “We’re looking at a planned unit development that would basically impose rules and regulations that they would adhere to based on their development.”
Painting has already taken place on the inside of the mall, with pink and teal colors being changed to earth tones, and other renovations are also in the works.
Mall General Manager Jennifer Glidewell said construction on a fountain will begin either the week after Christmas or the first week in January.
Plans also call for a kid zone at for the food court area, and the mall is discussing what to do with the food court's floor, Glidewell said last week. New tables and chairs have also been ordered for it. The bathrooms would also be remodeled, and a family bathroom would be added.
Additionally, there are ongoing discussions with AMC about how to renovate its theater.
Via acquired the mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group, which bought the facility in March from Macerich. |
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