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Enfield Square has been subdivided in 16 parcels as shown in Map 2, shown in a Market Analysis and Trend Study by CDM Smith published on crg.org
By Joanna Farrell
In Enfield, the once popular Enfield mall faces the threat of being demolished as the town has recently approved a new construction project for the site where the mall currently sits.
The mall is located just under a mile from CT States Asnuntuck campus and is home to Target alongside many small businesses who currently inhabit the space.
The town of Enfield has received $10 million from the community investment fund to renovate the space into something beneficial for the community. However, the renovation is projected to cost the town around $250 million and the town is hoping for another $10 million in state funding. The president of Woodsonia (the company buying the mall previously owned by Namdar) Drew Snyder says that if the other $10 million is not approved that they probably will not go through with the project.
Currently, the space seems as though it will be completely overhauled into a shopping center with space for apartments, eateries, and some nature activities including walking and biking trails. This renovation comes amidst a housing crisis in the US and many Enfield residents are hopeful for the housing that is to come with the space.
While many residents are hopeful for the new rendition of the currently dilapidated space, others are disappointed. The space that was once a pillar of the Enfield community will now be more reminiscent of the evergreen walk shoppes located in South Windsor.
Ellington resident Nikita Rozalski recalls going to the mall alongside friends in her youth and bringing her daughter to the theater for movie dates. Having grown up in Enfield, Rozalski says she is disappointed in the recent state of the building and wishes it would be renovated back to what it once was.
Rozalski is not alone in her disappointment. Many Enfield residents, past and present, have been reflecting on their shared experiences from the mall in local Facebook forums.
As for the businesses that currently occupy the nearly vacant mall, most are making plans to occupy other locations in Enfield for their businesses to call home.
While a formal demolition date has not yet been set for the mall, State Representative John Santanella said that they are expecting to begin the leveling of the mall sometime in July giving residents time to say goodbye to the nostalgia of the Enfield Mall.
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