Gov. Robert Ehrlich helped hoist the mainsail and jib on a catamaran Friday, but despite the wind generated by a crew of politicians, the becalmed sailboat didn?t move, since it was sitting in the middle of the Westfield Annapolis mall.
The pols? heavy lifting marked the $100 million expansion of the mall that will add 60 specialty stores, two new mini-anchors, and some of the “high-end restaurants” county officials have been begging to attract.
“We need them in Anne Arundel County,” said county Executive Janet Owens.
The governor last week signed local legislation creating a new liquor license for “deluxe” restaurants in which the owner invests more than $800,000 and which seat 100 people or more. Operators will be able to own as many as six of these licenses in Anne Arundel County. Economic development officials said the upscale eateries are needed to accommodate the high-salary executives and professionals who are moving to the area.
“The county is large, vibrant and wealthy,” Owens said.
Those among the reasons Westfield is taking a “new high-style approach” to the 240,000-square-foot mall expansion, said John Patillo, senior vice president for development. The new stores will make the shopping center the largest in the county, and it will have “the widest collection of moderate to upscale stores” and become “a destination center,” Patillo said.
It?s already a destination for the Maryland?s first family. “This is the first lady?s home mall,” Ehrlich said. “She does a lot of damage here.”
Work on the mall expansion is already underway, and it is expected to open in November 2007. “It?ll be on time,” insisted general manager Carol Fearns.
“We don?t have signed leases” for most of the stores and restaurants for the new section, but the rest of the mall is “fully occupied,” she said. “We had a great holiday season.”
The expansion will add 1,100 parking spaces, and some of these will be built on the roof of the expansion, Patillo said, allowing customers to park over some the stores.
