Charlottesville's Fashion Square Mall will be getting a facelift in the coming weeks, as mall officials plan for a multi-million dollar renovation project.
While a timeline for the project has not been finalized, it is slated to begin in the next several weeks.
The project tentatively should be completed by late October of this year. Mall officials then will sponsor a grand re-opening ceremony in early November.
The renovation will make new cosmetic changes to the mall rather than add additional retail space.
"The renovation is mainly cosmetic and will increase the look of the center and the ambiance for the customers," said Misty Parsons, marketing director at Charlottesville Fashion Square Mall.
The new additions include a soft play area for children located in the J.C. Penny court. Other cosmetic changes include a new mall entranceway, porcelain floors, redesigned lighting and skylights.
"The center obviously is in need of a new look," Parsons said.
Shopping center owners have planned these renovations for the past five years, she added.
But shoppers in the Charlottesville area should not worry about running into construction crews or restricted areas when they visit Fashion Square Mall.
According to Parsons, construction crews will begin work after the mall closes. Work then should be completed by 8 a.m. each morning.
"Other than a little bit of dust, the customers really won't be inconvenienced that much," Parsons said.
While the renovation's primary purpose is not to build new retailing space, the changes may help the mall's leasing office bring in new stores.
The changes "actually may help our leasing department," Parsons said.
The renovations may mean a lot to the Charlottesville community, but some University students are ambivalent about the matter. Second-year Engineering student Laura Reid, for example, often makes purchases at the Downtown Mall and Barracks Road Shopping Center instead of Fashion Square.
"I rarely go to the Charlottes-ville mall," Reid said.
Some University students who have frequented the mall said they feel no changes are necessary.
"When I was there this past semester, I thought it looked good," third-year College student Brett Webster said.
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