The current owner of the Summit Mall shopping center would like officials at Niagara County Community College to give the Williams Road property another look.
Mall owner Jim Anthony sent a formal proposal last week to NCCC President James Klyczek and members of the college’s Board of Trustees, asking them to reconsider the Summit as a possible location for the college’s proposed Culinary Arts Institute.
The move follows last month’s disclosure by Klyczek that NCCC representatives have had preliminary talks about developing the institute inside the vacant Rainbow Centre Mall in downtown Niagara Falls.
In an Aug. 18 letter to Klyczek, NCCC trustees and other local officials, Anthony suggests the Summit offers many advantages, including ample space and parking. Anthony also argues that the site, which was involved in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May, offers “additional attractiveness” as its interior is now largely vacant. Anthony mentions the former Macri’s restaurant location and the mall’s food court as “ideal” for students to advance their education in the culinary arts and restaurant management.
“Seldom has there been greater need for economic prudence in considering all alternatives in planning for the future of our colleges and universities,” Anthony wrote.
Anthony presented NCCC officials with several possible scenarios, including an offer to sell them 90,000-square-feet of space formerly occupied by Steve & Barry’s or a 98,000-square-foot section of the mall that was once home to Hens & Kelly. Anthony offered to sell either space to the college for $1.95 million, with a contribution of $500,000 from the seller. Anthony also says his company, Oberlin Plaza One, would also consider offers for the entire mall site and said it may be possible for his company to assist with the financing.
“Unlike the Rainbow (Mall) property in Niagara Falls, we have invested over $10 million in new roofing; sky-lights; HVAC and interior improvements during the last four years and (The Summit) provides a ready, central campus location at a huge discount to whatever may be available at (the) Rainbow Mall,” Anthony wrote.
Klyczek acknowledged receipt of Anthony’s proposal and said he would likely bring it up for discussion during next month’s meeting of the board’s Planning and Facilities Committee. Klyczek indicated that college officials considered the Summit as a possible location for the culinary institute months ago, but dropped it from consideration after determining that the site was not a proper fit. Klyczek said the college officials settled on a location in downtown Niagara Falls because they felt it was important for students at the culinary arts institute to be directly involved in the city’s tourism market.
“We ruled (the Summit) out during the feasibility study because it was off the beaten path,” Klyczek said.
