Westfield Seeks to Inject New Life Into Mall

Every engine needs an overhaul once in a while, and Old Orchard Mall, the economic motor for so much of Skokie, is close to receiving such a tune-up.

Last week, the Skokie Appearance Commission overwhelmingly approved a series of proposed changes the Westfield Group seeks to enhance the mall’s appearance. Those plans now head to the village’s Plan Commission, which has scheduled discussions at its Sept. 15 meeting.

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“We want to freshen up the common area to keep the [shopping] center at the top of the game,” Michael Platt, Westfield’s vice president of design, said of the proposed $10 million renovation. 

The upgrades would include more robust plants and flowers throughout the mall's common areas, better lighting, a new valet lounge with seats and heaters for winter, a new play area for children and a grand trellis in the northeast corner for holding special events.

“We want to make sure the landscape is done to the best of our ability. We want to offer places to rest and recharge,” Platt said of Westfield plans for the mall. “We will have more lounge seating.

"There are things we need to offer that we haven’t in the past and I think we can do better," he added.

All of these changes have been recommended as Westfield hopes to give its nearly 13 million annual visitors to Old Orchard a better experience and to enhance the name recognition of the mall and the community. That is where new signage will come into play.

“More people are shopping at Old Orchard outside of the normal customer base,” said Hide Kashima, Westfield's development director. “They don’t know Skokie as well; they have never been to Old Orchard before.”

If the Plan Commission and the village trustees approved the changes, construction could begin as soon as November and with a completion date toward the end of 2012.

Old Orchard was originally constructed in the 1950s as Chicago--like the rest of the nation--experienced a mass population growth in its suburbs.

The mall has seen two major renovations within the last 20 years: the first completed in 1995 and the other in 2007.

Westfield purchased the property in 2002, and nowadays there are more than 140 shops, including several department stores. If the plans gain approval, this will mark a major investment on the company’s efforts to keep Old Orchard a major destination for local shoppers, Westfield officials said.

“We have wanted to do it for quite some time,” Platt said. “We now feel it is the right opportunity and now we have got to the point where we can make a sizable investment and move forward.”

It is hardly a secret Old Orchard is a major economic force for the village. Westfield would not comment as to how much revenue the mall brings in every year, but a company spokeswoman noted it is one of the highest producing malls of the 55 U.S. properties in the Westfield family.

According to John Lockerby, the assistant village manager,  Old Orchard accounted for 40 percent of Skokie's sales taxes during 2010, amounting to $8,787,500.

“Old Orchard provides more sales tax revenue to the village than any other source and [is] one of the main reasons why the village has been able to hold steady on property taxes for the last 20 years,” said Howard Meyer, the executive director of the Skokie Chamber of Commerce.

From his perspective, Meyer is pleased with what is scheduled to take place at the mall and supports the proposed facelift.

“This plan for the remodeling is refreshing and will be one of the more important economic events for 2012,” he said. “Right now, Old Orchard is leased more than in any other time in the mall's history and this remodeling will help the retailers maintain a strong customer base.”

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