By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

ELKHART — For those of a certain age, Concord Mall is remembered as the epicenter for one-stop shopping on US 33 between Goshen and Elkhart. Long before Target, Meijer and Walmart became part of the local landscape, the mall was the place to go for everything, whether it be at anchor stores like JCPenney, Robertson’s, Elder-Beerman and Montgomery Ward or smaller niche chain outlets.

Concord Mall first opened in Aug.1972. It was a place where teenagers from local high schools came to pass time and meet friends. A movie theater formerly occupied an outbuilding in the parking lot, which in conjunction with the stores in the mall provided a complete Saturday evening’s worth of entertainment.

Since the turn of the century, it has been in steady decline as  anchor stores came, went, were sold and rebranded. With the advent of online shopping and nearby big box stores, the mall became a literal shell of its former self.

Now, a developer has  a proposal to repurpose the site into a hybrid business park, mixing retail stores with business and perhaps even manufacturing companies. The renovation plans received the initial go-ahead Monday when the Elkhart City Plan Commission approved Industrial Commercial Properties’ rezoning request, which now will go before the Elkhart City Council before changes can occur.

The revitalization plan includes major updates to the building’s interior, exterior, parking lots and other features on the property. The rezoning request would allow local businesses and limited manufacturing, but would exclude other types of businesses that might negatively impact local residents. The possibility would exist for manufactured housing and mobile home companies to open light manufacturing operations on the site.

Another possibility suggested by ICP Vice President of Development Jeff Martin would be the eventual construction of four-story residential apartment buildings. ICP does work with residential housing but would theoretically partner with a residential real estate development company when the time was appropriate.

The matter will likely come before the city council later this summer.