By Randy Tucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

UNION TOWNSHIP - Eastgate Mall will undergo a multimillion-dollar makeover beginning this week with a new food court as the cornerstone of the redevelopment plans, mall officials announced Tuesday.

EASTGATE TIMELINE

1980: Opens 1991: Expands with the addition of McAlpin's 1995: Addition of Kohl's 1998: Dillard's acquires McAlpin's 2001: CBL & Associates Properties Inc. acquires mall from Richard E. Jacobs Group

Mall owner CBL & Associates Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., would not disclose the cost of the project. But Union Township administrators who approved the plan have said it will cost $16 million.

Arby's, The Great Steak & Potato Co., Chinese Gourmet Express and Subway restaurants already have been signed to occupy four of the seven spaces that will be available in the food court - a first for the Clermont County shopping center near the intersection of Interstate 275 and Ohio 32.

Plans also call for remodeled entrances, new signs, new lighting and floors, soft-seating areas for mall patrons and a repaved parking lot.

The 905,000-square-foot shopping center has more than 93 retail tenants, including Dillard's, Sears, Kohl's and JC Penney.

"We are committed to upgrading our mall in order to provide our customers with new amenities and a comfortable and friendly shopping environment,'' Jim Childress, Eastgate's general manager, said at a Tuesday morning press conference inside the mall.

Eastgate will join two other major malls in Greater Cincinnati - Kenwood Towne Centre and Forest Fair Mall - in making significant reinvestments to remain competitive with businesses from upscale retail centers to discount superstores.

General Growth Properties purchased Kenwood in August and said it would change the mall's merchandise mix and perhaps start other renovations after a six-month review.

Officials from The Mills Corp., which purchased Forest Fair in October, are to unveil their plans for the struggling Forest Park shopping center today.

Mills is known for incorporating entertainment venues and themed restaurants in its mall developments.

The planned changes are an indication that mall operators in Greater Cincinnati have begun to recognize that it's not just the stores that must keep up with the times, the malls themselves must be kept up to date.

"Malls of that vintage (Eastgate) were built with a long-term perspective,'' said Stan Eichelbaum, president of the downtown-based Marketing Developments Inc.

"But since then, we've learned that not just retail must be `contemporized' on a regular basis, but the whole retail environment.''

Still, outside factors threaten the growth of retail centers and shopping malls.

For example, the amount of time Americans spent in malls decreased from an average of 12 hours a month in 1980 to four hours in 1990, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

That, coupled with a down economy, low savings rates by consumers and high credit-card debt, among other economic concerns, could put the brakes on retail development.

But Eastgate is in a good position because it's in a high-growth area and faces little competition, Mr. Eichelbaum said.

"It is a primary mall in a growth area of town," he said. But "they still need to bring it to today's standard, with inclusion of facilities like a food court.''

E-mail rtucker@enquirer.com