Selectman seeks to revitalize mall

December 27, 2018 11:45 pm

By Jordan Mazza

SWANSEA, MA (WLNE) — Many seem to agree the Swansea Mall has seen better days.

“It’s really kind of sad in there seeing all the stores be closed,” said Kathleen O’Loughlin of Bristol. “There’s nobody in there.”

Swansea Town Selectman Christopher Correiro says the mall’s decline is partly due to the rise of online shopping.

But he says the mall owners are also having trouble selling the property because of extensive restrictions from the adjacent Walmart.

“At this point, because they can’t sell, there’s no exit strategy for the mall,” Correiro said. “Now government intervention is absolutely necessary because redevelopment of the mall without it is likely impossible.”

Correiro proposes the town use eminent domain – but not spend money to buy the mall.

He says the town would act as an intermediary between the buyer and seller to release those Walmart restrictions — without any money passing through the Town of Swansea.

“Although we traditionally don’t get involved in private party transactions, when they impact the community at this scale, I feel like we have a duty to attempt to fix the problem,” Correiro said.

He says that fix would be a mix of housing, medical facilities, retail, entertainment, and even potentially the town hall and municipal offices.

“I think with a little change, a little new construction, a little facelift – people would come,” said Fabio Lopes of Bristol.

Correiro says the first step would be to create a redevelopment authority and then an urban renewal plan.

“The success of the Swansea Mall is not just going to be realized by the Town of Swansea,” Correiro said. “It’s going to be realized by this entire region.”

Correiro plans to present his proposal to the Board of Selectmen on January 2nd.