BOARDMAN, Ohio - After months of speculation about his plans, the new owner of the Southern Park Mall says he wants to reassure those of his commitment to the community. While Kohan Retail Investment Group owns the Southern Park Mall, there is one spot that is owned by the Cafaro Company, the former Dillard's building.

An outline of the Dillard's logo is all that remains on the former store at the Southern Park Mall. The store closed back in 2019, and has been empty since.

“We don’t want that space to sit empty. We want that to be useful. And we think it's important that things move forward. It’s no good to have empty buildings anywhere. And it’s great if you have a developer, if you have a property manager, that actually wants to do something worthwhile with empty space,” said Joe Bell, Communications director for the Cafaro Company.

Bell said there have been conversations about the building in the past, but no plans are set in stone.

“I think our goal is the best possible use for that building. And whether that's a matter of leasing that to another entity, another company that wants to use it for some purpose, or whether it's selling it to another entity who may have its own plans and wants ownership. That's all possible and it's all on the table,” said Bell.

Bell said despite occasional interest, he cannot say if there are currently any negotiations or conversations about the space.

The Cafaro Company has not spoken with Kohan Retail Investment Group yet, but is hoping to learn about their hopes for the mall.

“We would be interested in what their plans would be, and if they have any intentions talking with us on what our uses of the space would be,” said Bell. “We don’t have any voice in how it's managed, how it's leased. We have our own concern which is that space, the former Dillard’s... And we’ll see what comes down the road as the new owners decide to lay out their plans,” said Bell.

There is no set timeline as to when developments could come to the building, but Bell said a conversation with the new mall owners could help move things along.

“Whenever you have people who are in the real estate industry, like Kohan and like our company, there are lots of ways to talk about space.  And sometimes those discussions go on for years before someone finally comes to an understanding of what would work and they finally come to a deal that would work for both parties,” said Bell.