Nearly emptied of stores, and long considered to be in its death throes, the Randall Park Mall shopping center's out-of-state owner announced just one week ago that the building was finally to be shuttered. Only the Sears and the Burlington stores - both accessible from outside the mall - would remain.
But North Randall Mayor David Smith says talks continued behind the scenes, leading to a deal with Cincinnati United Contractors to purchase and redevelop the two-point-two million square foot building.
SMITH: I'm totally excited, almost like a kid on Christmas morning, and we've got a lot of work ahead of us, but we're not going to fool outselves, and say that this is the end-all, be-all. There's a lot of work that has to go into this redevelopment.
The largest tax generator in the Village will be re-engineered to what the mayor termed mixed use, with shopping, manufacturing, education and technology - including the soon-to-open PowerSports center, operated by the Ohio Technical College.
The purchase price, cost estimate for renovating, and projected opening date were not disclosed.
Rick Jackson, 90.3.
