Swansea selectman reacts to mall closure

January 31, 2019 11:51 pm

SWANSEA, MA (WLNE) — It’s the final swan song for the Swansea Mall.

The entire shopping center is now set to close at the end of March, when its last anchor tenant Macy’s closes.

But Swansea Town Selectman Christopher Carreiro says he’s still hopeful.

“I don’t think this is a bigger problem than Swansea can solve,” he said. “We’re going to have to be creative.”

Carreiro has already proposed a redevelopment plan for the mall.

“The entire situation is a double–edged sword. It is beneficial for the mall to be empty for redevelopment, but it is going to hurt our small businesses in this community. And that’s what I’m concerned about.”

What doomed the mall? Carreiro says mall owners never should have signed a lease with Walmart, as the retailer put unusually extensive restrictions on what else is allowed in the mall.

“It was short–sighted,” the selectman said. “It was stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. And I truly don’t believe the owners of the Swansea Mall at that time ever predicted the negative impact those restrictions would have.”

But Carreiro says the mall’s closure doesn’t change his plan: to have the town use eminent domain to lift those restrictions and find a buyer.

“If there are developers interested in redeveloping the mall, all of the stars and the planets have aligned,” he said. “This is the time to come forward. Because the mall’s motivated to sell, Walmart is providing information that seems as though they are willing to work with us. This is the time to engage in that dialogue.”

Carreiro says the selectmen will likely meet before the mall closes at the end of March.