A Franklin-based youth baseball club could lease space at the Spring Mall shopping center in Greenfield, continuing a growing trend of vacant retail boxes being repurposed for different uses.
Snappers Baseball Club, LLC has submitted site plans and requested a special use permit to lease approximately 12,400 square feet of space at the shopping center located at 4260 S. 76 St.
The baseball club would use the space to train during the winter, according to documents submitted to the city. The Snappers is a select baseball club with 11 select teams ages 8 to 15. The group was founded in 1995.
Spring Mall is owned by New York-based Brixmor, which also owns and operates more than 475 commercial real estate properties in 36 states including Moorland Square Shopping Center in New Berlin.
Representatives from Brixmor could not be reached for comment.
Spring Mall has three other properties on the 26-acre campus available for lease, according to plans on the company’s website.
Two of the properties are approximately 4,000 square feet; one property is approximately 12,300 square feet.
Kroger’s lease of the 85,457-square-foot former Pick n’ Save space is coming to an end in the very near future, according to the city.
“Brixmor has indicated that they’d like to redevelop the entire site, which will take time and careful long-term planning,” according to city documents.
The city plan commission will review the Snappers’ request Tuesday. A public hearing will be held Sept. 18.
Just south of Spring Mall in Greendale, Southridge Mall is transforming the former Sears store space.
A Dick’s Sporting Goods store will occupy 66,000 square feet of the lower level of the former Sears store and Round 1 Bowling and Amusement Complex will occupy 45,000 square feet of the upper level of the building.
These types of changes are happening across the country as retail real estate owners determine the best way to move forward now that the retail landscape is shifting away from brick and mortar toward digital shopping.
Brookfield Square Mall is also undergoing at transformation at its former Sears store that will include the addition of a Marcus BistroPlex, Whirlyball and more restaurants.
