Mayor proposing for city to buy, redevelop Westland mall
WESTLAND, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - In the age of e-commerce, traditional malls are having a hard time keeping their stores open.
In Metro Detroit, we've seen the last days of Northland and Eastland malls, and now changes could be coming to another known shopping center. There's a new push to bring new life back to Westland mall.
"Now, it's just kind of dead," said shopper Kalin Bates. "Like nobody comes here for like certain reasons, and there's not many stores that people want to see."
"I would love to see more stores open," said Shannon Coles, a long-time shopper. "I feel like every time I'm here everything's closed, and I would love to see more people. That would be great if they can get more people in here again."
Westland Mayor Michael Londeau is leading the charge to possibly buy the property and revitalize the site.
Londeau says there are currently only 55 stores in the mall that can hold up to 120 shops. He is now working on plans to develop the mall into a more walkable space with a diverse mix of attractions.
"We're city administrators so we're not looking to purchase the property to take over the mall and be mall operators," Londeau said. "We're more interested in the property itself and trying to create a City-Center District."
Namdar Realty Group in New York currently owns the Westland Mall. The firm owns 58 shopping centers across the country.
CBS News Detroit reached out to management for comment, but our calls were not returned.