Crestwood Court News: LensCrafters is "Not Going Anywhere"

Yes, LensCrafters is still open. 

It's a routine answer for Amy Portell, who works as one of three managers at the company's location inside the mostly vacant Crestwood Court. At least once per day, she's asked if the store is open for business. 

Between helping customers and answering the phone during a busy Thursday morning, Portell talked about the future of the store. 

"We have a lease through 2016," Portell said. "We're not going anywhere." 

She doesn't know what would happen if the mall shut down completely, but she believes LensCrafters would have 90 days to identify a plan. 

It's been a rocky few months for the mall and, consequently, for Centrum Properties, which owns the space. 

Aside from LensCrafters and mall walkers, Crestwood Court is completely vacant. The most recent departure from the mall was the U.S. Post Office, which closed shop in January. 

Centrum presented plans to demolish the mall and create The District at Crestwood, an entertainment-focused plaza, last fall. Crestwood's Board of Aldermen halted discussions on the mall when they declined to approve a planner for the project in December.

Discussions reignited last month after Centrum held a town hall meeting. The developers still believe that The District at Crestwood is a viable future for the space.

The total redevelopment cost is estimated at $121 million, with about one-third of that coming from public taxpayer dollars in the form of tax-increment financing, transportation development district and community improvement district.

Patch will continue to keep you updated on what's happening with Crestwood Court. Visit our "Crestwood Court Redevelopment" topics page to learn more about the history of this space. 

Editor Karlie Baker contributed to this report.