Local officials are eagerly awaiting word from General Growth Properties, the mall's developer, on their possible plans for expansion. The 268,000-sf building, owned by Tech Commons, was redeveloped with much fanfare into a telecom hotel. The crash of the industry has dashed those plans and has left the town without a significant source of revenue.

A representative of the town tells GlobeSt.com that the building is currently vacant. He adds that plans have not been formally filed with the town yet but that General Growth Properties is "still negotiating and working on a site plan." The mall expansion would also require a special permit for rezoning as the building is currently zoned for industrial use.

"We've looked at it and we're considering it," Bob Michaels, president of Chicago-based General Growth Properties, tells GlobeSt.com, referring to the Tech Commons building. Michaels notes that his company would be interested in acquiring the building but he could not say whether it would be redeveloped or razed. "It's hard to say at this point," he notes. "We don't have specific numbers yet."

The Mall currently has nearly 200 stores including four anchors: Sears, Lord and Taylor, Filene's and Macy's.