Developers of the Berlin Mall are looking to build a 55,502-square-foot Kohl’s department store at an adjacent site.
Mall owners announced Monday that they had reached an agreement with Kohl’s to construct a stand-alone store on 6.7 acres between Fisher Road and the mall, across from the auto dealerships on the mall’s access road.
Mall owners will begin to apply for the necessary permit this month. There is no timeline for completion of the project.
“Hallelujah! It’s good to see things happening, to see things being built,” said George Malek, president of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, in response to the news. “Things being built means jobs, which is good for everyone.”
“The proposed construction of a Kohl’s department store furthers our goals of revitalizing the mall property, offering consumers more choices, and building more confidence in the Berlin-Barre-Montpelier area’s economic future,” said Ken Simon of Berlin Mall LLC, owners of the mall, in a news release.
As part of the revitalization plan, an expansion of Wal-Mart is underway, and is due to be completed in October. The mall will also install a bus stop for the Green Mountain Transit Authority, install a walkway between Fisher Road and the mall and continue with landscaping improvements, the release said.
There hasn’t been enough time to gauge community response to agreement with Kohl’s, Malek said, but he didn’t foresee any negative economic impact for local retailers.
“Activity and opportunity are good for the businesses that are already here,” he said.
The length of the permitting process will determine when construction of the building can begin.
Wisconsin-based Kohl’s Corp. also has retail stores in South Burlington and West Lebanon, N.H.
