The stuffy, enclosed mall many student know as Landmark will close at the end of this month to begin long awaited renovations. Located on Duke St. in Alexandria, the current plan is demolish the scare hallways and turn them into an open, multi-use community space.

Redevelopment had been approved by the Alexandria City Council in June of 2013, but it was delayed by financial issues. The property of the Macy’s and it’s parking lot was sold to the Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC), the owner of the mall, and the few remaining stores still operating in the desolate mall have reportedly been told to move out by the end of this month. The Suntrust Bank and Sears will remain open during future renovations.

The HHC created a new website to inform people of what they plan to do with the mall. They plan on redeveloping the property and building new apartment buildings, a plaza center with new restaurants and stores, a 10 screen movie theater, and a green space where community events can be held.

“That mall has been dead for a while,” sophomore Asha Ali said. “It’s a good idea, but it’s sad that all the memories will be gone.”

In their official statement, HHC said that the plans would help bring tax revenue to the city and provide more jobs. They also said that the open spaces and outdoor seating will make the plaza more accessible. At this time, they haven’t given a schedule as to when renovations will actually begin.

“It’s about time,” said junior Deega Hilowle.