Westland Mall would be demolished and replaced by a mix of uses in a development called Weston under a new plan by its owners.

LGR Weston of Columbus last week bought the Sears portion of the mall, clearing a major hurdle to developing the long-dormant West Side property.

The $3.15 million purchase gives LGR and its sister company, Plaza Properties, control of the entire 88-acre mall site, allowing plans to move forward. As a former mall anchor, Sears had exercised veto power over any redevelopment plan.

"LGR was held hostage because nothing could be done without Sears’ approval, and they disagreed with everything," said Deb Miller, principal owner of the Columbus retail consulting firm Boulevard Strategies, which is working with LGR on the redevelopment plan.

Miller said she could not describe the specific details of LGR's plans for the property, but said the 1-million-square-foot mall would be demolished.

In its place, she said, would rise a mixed-use development, "complementary" to Hollywood Casino across Georgesville Road to the east.

"We've been involved in planning for the site for the past two years," she said. "The development team’s excited about the project, we've had a lot of good meetings with the casino and county and city officials. The casino is on board as well; they’re excited."

Miller said the team is also working with Havenwood Townhomes, the rental complex formerly known as Lincoln Park West immediately south of the mall.

Franklin County Economic Development Director James Schimmer said he could not speak about any specifics, but expressed hope that the property would finally see some attention.

"We've had very positive conversations with the developer over the last two months and I'm more optimistic than I've been in a long time," he said.

Chris Haydocy, whose car and RV dealerships are near the mall, described the Sears purchase as "the best news I’ve heard in decades."

"They’ve been working diligently to buy Sears for years and years," Haydocy said. "The fact that they bought it now is great; it’s a huge piece of the puzzle."

Westland opened in 1969 as an open air mall and was enclosed in 1982. Its struggles began after the Mall at Tuttle Crossing opened in 1997. A decade later, the Westland Macy's closed, followed by a string of departures that ended in the mall closing in 2012, except for the Sears store, which closed in September 2017.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker