ENFIELD, Conn. — The Enfield Planning & Zoning Commission this week unanimously approved a plan to further subdivide properties at the mostly vacant Enfield Square, perhaps clearing the way for redevelopment of the 677,000-square-foot enclosed mall.

The owners would have to come back to the town for permission to demolish buildings or add new structures.

Thursday’s vote came after weeks of wrangling with mall owners Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management, both based in New York, and weeks of legal research by town staff. Planning commissioners wanted, but didn’t get, specifics about Namdar and Mason’s plans for the mall.

Neither Namdar nor Mason returned calls for comment from The Republican on Friday.

Commissioners at Thursday night’s meeting expressed reluctance. Neighbors also expressed concerns about the loss of retail at the mall.

Chairman Ken Nelson reiterated his fear that Enfield could be making the same mistake it made when it enacted regulations in the 1960s that concentrated development in the center of town near Interstate 91.

That resulted in suburban development like the mall. But it hurt Enfield’s traditional villages, like Thompsonville on the Connecticut River, that are now the focus of redevelopment efforts.

“I just hope that 30 years from now it doesn’t create another Thompsonville that has my name associated with it,” Nelson said.

Video of the meeting is available from EnfieldTelevision on its YouTube channel.

The mall’s proposal is to divide what are now eight lots into 13. The logic, according to ownership, is that businesses and possible residential users want to own their own real estate and don’t want to be renters in a mall.

Project documents submitted by Namdar and Mason have maps of the new parcels. But the documents don’t say what the owners plan to tear down, what they plan to build on the parcels, or who the potential buyers or developers would be.

Built in 1971, the mall used to have G. Fox, Steiger’s and JCPenney as anchors. Today it has a Target, Cinemark Enfield Square 12 theaters, Party City and a few other stores.

Macy’s still owns a building and parking lot at the mall despite having closed its department store there in 2016. The Sears store closed in 2017, and JCPenney closed in 2000.

Concerned about the waste of space and of potential for income, Enfield economic development boosters pitched the property as a possible location for a casino or for an Amazon headquarters. Neither proposal went forward.

Malls all over the country are redeveloping or are planning to. Eastfield Mall in Springfield has announced plans that include marijuana cultivation and sales. Greendale Mall in Worcester has new owners who plan a mixed-use redevelopment. The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside is in the process of converting its former Sears into a movie theater.

The Berkshire Mall outside Pittsfield is mostly abandoned except for its Target store and cinemas.