The City of Newark has already approved plans for property owners to rebuild , which is in the process of being .
Community Development Director Terrence Grindall said the city has approved for Sand Hill Properties to build more retail space at the plaza across from , but that they are expecting those plans to be modified.
"[Sand Hill is] actively marketing the center, and will build to suit whoever they sign a lease with," Grindall said.
Kevin Dare, managing director for Sand Hill Properties, said the remainder of the demolition, which began about 10 days ago, will take about another week.
"I think that the demolition is definitely a great start to really kick off this first project, the first leg to make this project stand on its feet again," Dare said. "We are taking action and moving forward, so it’s really an exciting thing."
The plans call for the renovated retail center to fit well into the community and maximize the quality of the area.
"We are still working on the initial site plan," Dare said. "Nothing is final. We are working with prospective tenants and have plans that we are working on right now."
No tenants have signed a lease yet, and Dare said they would not be able to release who any of the prospective tenants are until a lease is signed.
"We definitely want to make it a unique hub … to stimulate and foster and take advantage of the location and accessibility right off of [Interstate 880],” Dare said. "The goal is to make it a regional draw, something that is useful for other communities as well."
There is currently no timeframe available for when the new development will begin. The developers are still in the middle of the design process, which will take several months to plan out.
“We are very happy that they are doing the demolition and are encouraging them to find quality tenants,” Grindall said.
The shopping center remains home to and a . There are no plans to demolish the newer vacant building at Mowry Crossing that was housed Mervyn's.
