Knollwood Mall hopes to draw in new customers by demolishing much of the interior and replacing the many stores inside with four larger stores according to Kevin Locke, director of community development in St. Louis Park.

New York-based Rouse Properties, one of the largest mall owners in the United States, put forth a plan to renovate Knollwood Mall in an attempt to bring in newer stores and reinvigorate the mall.

Locke said the redevelopment will help the city by providing services and jobs for the community.

Sophomore Abigail Hickstein said she thinks the larger stores will help Knollwood attract more shoppers.

“If there are bigger, more popular stores it would give me more of a reason to go,” Hickstein said.

The store fronts, instead of being inside, will face outward once construction is completed. The plan also includes a redesign of the parking lot to make it less complex and more accessible.

Locke said the redevelopment will help the city by providing services and jobs for the community.

Senior Dana Kuenzi said the redevelopment plan sounds like a much needed update.

“The mall is kind of becoming an eyesore, so remodeling it would probably do it some good,” she said.

Junior Thanasi Pantazides said the plan could be very profitable, but he believes it wouldn’t be worth it.

“If the mall was rebuilt as a collection of fewer but larger stores I think visibility would increase and inherently more people would want to shop there,” he said. “In my opinion they should forget the whole thing and spend the money on a better cause.”

Locke said the proposal passed through the Planning Commission, but would still need approval from City Council, most likely occurring in September, before any construction can begin.