Virginia Beach, Va. (WTKR) – Big changes are coming to Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach.
Construction on the second phase of renovations will start soon, which will include redeveloping the mall entrances, expanding an outdoor courtyard, building a new food court and removing the upper level.
“We are bringing the food court out to meet the restaurants, make it more cohesive food vending area,” explained Lynnhaven Mall General Manager Michael Harris. “We're going to be demoing the second level of the center court which will open up the area all the way from center court to the front entrance.”
This is the second phase of renovations for the mall. The first wrapped up in 2013 and included upgrades to flooring, paint, seating and lighting in the two wings of the mall.
The expansion of the outdoor courtyard is in the same area where a carrousel stood for many years; a decision Harris says was not easy.
“We were not surprised by the outpouring by the community about the carousel and we certainly recognize the concerns and that this was a fixture within our market for many, many years and it was a decision that we did not take lightly,” Harris said.
Renovations to the mall will all happen without closing the mall.
“All this will be done at night when the mall is closed and after hours,” Harris said.
He’s also hoping that any construction work will be a part of the shopping experience during the transformation.
“There will be some visible signs of construction surely but we want that to be a part of the experience as we go through this process,” Harris stated. “There may be a barricade that may be 8 feet high but we are going to be cutting in some Plexiglas window openings so they can actually see the activity.”
Construction work will be halted before the 2014 holiday shopping season and is expected to be finished during the first part of 2015.
