🔒Developer seeks zone change, updates plans for Enfield Square Mall overhaul

The long-struggling Enfield Square Mall could soon be transformed into a mixed-use community hub, as Nebraska-based developer Woodsonia Acquisitions LLC moves forward with plans to redevelop the property into what it calls the Enfield Marketplace. Woodsonia has filed a zone change application with the town, seeking to reclassify seven parcels totaling more than 72 acres from Business Regional to a Special Development District. The change would be the next step in clearing the way for a master-planned redevelopment of the 1970s-era mall, which has been plagued by store closures, high vacancy and even a partial roof collapse in 2022. The application is scheduled to be received by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its Sept. 11 meeting. In a separate application to Enfield’s Planning Division, Woodsonia has also asked to merge the mall’s seven existing parcels into one large parcel to enable redevelopment. The proposal envisions a mix of housing, retail and commercial uses on the site, anchored by three distinct “nodes”: a 12-acre residential section with up to 703 apartments; an 18-acre retail corridor extending from the existing Target; and an eastern zone designed for restaurants and commercial tenants along a walkable, “Main Street”-style layout The master plan calls for 342,000 square feet of multifamily housing and up to 296,000 square feet of commercial space, supported by new internal roads, sidewalks, green space and modern infrastructure. Developers say the project would generate fewer car trips than the old 662,000-square-foot mall and provide adequate surface parking. Town officials have already secured a $10 million state Community Investment Fund grant and a brownfield remediation award to support demolition and site preparation. If the zone change is approved, individual tenants will still need special permit approvals for their buildings, according to the project application. The mall, once a regional shopping destination, today sits nearly 86% vacant and was recently dubbed a “zombie mall” by the Wall Street Journal. Woodsonia officials said the Enfield Marketplace represents a “fresh start” for the property and a chance to rejuvenate a key commercial corridor along Elm Street and Hazard Avenue. According to property records, Namdar still owns the mall site, but Woodsonia said previously it has an agreement to purchase the property, contingent upon receiving the necessary redevelopment approvals.