By Patrick McGroarty
Reporter Staff

Final plans for major renovations to the Fields Corner Mall are still several months from completion and hinge upon input from new retailer AJ Wright, who has agreed to anchor improvements to the 40 year-old shopping center, Tom Russell, project architect and Cifrino family representative, told the Fields Corner Civic Association on Tuesday night.

AJ Wright, a national retail chain owned by TJ Maxx, hopes to move into the space by mid-fall, and Russell said construction on the store and renovations to the surrounding mall should commence by late summer.

Russell also revealed that B.D.'s would be vacating the mall after their lease expired on June 1. Part of the vacated space will be taken over by AJ Wright, and the remainder will stand vacant until a new tenant is found. A final stopping block to the renovation process, said Russell, would be removed following the outcome of an ongoing legal battle to determine the legality of bankruptcy declared by Orlando's Food Basket.

"The Cifrino family has decided that they're in for the long haul," said Russell. "They plan to renovate the sidewalks and perimeter, as well as integrate the adjacent T station and streetscape as well as possible."

He added that an unsightly loading dock behind the mall would likely be moved inside the AJ Wright store, and that the entire façade would be made over to be cleaner and more inviting.

Association members listened with rapt attention as Russell laid out a timeline for future developments, and asked for assurances that they would be made a part of any remaining decision-making.

"The news here is that here's an opportunity to attract people to Fields Corner," said Andre Porter, of the city's Department of Neighborhood Development. "People are getting excited about the possibilities."