Concord Mall one step closer to major makeover

ELKHART, Ind. -- The Concord Mall is one step closer to getting a major makeover.

City leaders and community members across the board recognize that something needs to be done with the desolate shopping center.

“I just see stores come and go,” says Eric Neely, a frequent visitor of the Concord Mall.

For the past 28 years, Eric Neely has used the layout of the mall as his walking route, three times a week every single week.

Over time, he's seen firsthand as gates replace what used to be store entrances and the shopping center become less and less busy, now, almost bare.

“I can’t exactly remember when this place started closing down,” Neely admits. “But I know in the 70’s and 80’s, wow, this place was booming.”

He is one of many that hopes to see the building flourish once again with businesses and shoppers.

As of Wednesday, his wishes are closer to becoming reality.

“The more that we dug into the demographics and the more that we dug into the area, we really fell in love with it,” Keith Brandt says, a developer with Industrial Commerical Properties LLC.

Developers with the Cleveland-based company see big potential in Concord Mall, and the area surrounding the center.

Brandt presented their proposal to the Elkhart Planning and Development Committee on Wednesday evening, envisioning a modernized and expanded site filled with mixed-use developments.

“The model that we do doesn’t require to have as much parking,” Brandt explains. “So, we can really take a lot of the concrete and turn that into mixed-use, whether that’s multi-family, whether that’s new outparcels, new retails, new restaurants.”

The committee is on board, passing the proposal unanimously, and agreeing the mall needs to be transformed from an eye sore into a new, profitable complex.

However, that doesn’t mean everyone else in Elkhart is on board.

The developers recognize the hard goodbye of a space that so many in the community spent time in.

“We want to make sure that we have that community support all the way around, so that everyone views the end result as a win-win for everyone involved,” says Brandt.

Mall walkers like Neely hope this is a first step to build support and set a new path for Concord Mall.

“It used to be real fun back then, I wish it could come back again like that,” Neely hopes.

The city council will vote on the proposal in its July 10th meeting. If approved, developers say work on the mall would start as early as this year.