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Sears says they're here to stay amidst rumors of getting shut down

Broadway Square Mall is getting a makeover, but many people are concerned Sears will be no more.

TYLER — Broadway Square Mall in Tyler is getting a makeover, including tearing down the Sears building and adding 118,000 square feet of retail space.

Those plans are leaving many people to ask, what will happen to Sears?

"That's not information that we have at this time," Kyle Kingma, the Planning Manager for the City of Tyler said.

City Council approved the project on Tuesday Morning.

As for what's happening with specific stores, Kingma said the city doesn't have the answer.

Simon Property Group, the largest shopping mall operator in the U.S, is in charge of the renovation.

"Simon submitted a site plan amendment for the Broadway Square Mall," Kingma said. "So what is shows is some additional lease space, retail space, as well as a reconstruction of where Sears is currently located."

A representative for Simon said they won't comment about their plans for individual stores.

A Sears spokesperson issued a statement to CBS19.

"We have a multi-year lease at the store and we plan to continue serving our customers and members in Tyler."

Many mall goers had no idea the proposal was even on the table.

Kingma said what happened to the individual stores is up to Simon.

The city is just approving the construction plan.

"The next step would really be just to submit for a building permit," Kingma said. "And then we review that against the site plan approved today, make sure it's all consistent with that at the very least, with the normal construction of it."

He said it's the right direction for the city to be moving in, especially in the midst of so many malls around the country closing.

"Well the mall, that's a focal point of this city," Kingma said. "It's a focal point of the city, the large mall that we have in town. And so we support re-development on that site, it's good that they're actually doing some re-development for the site and for the city."

A representative for Simon did send CBS19 a statement about the project.

"We very much appreciate the support of the Tyler City Council in approving our vision for Broadway Square. We are excited to redevelop Broadway Square in a way that will benefit the Tyler community and the existing retailers and look forward to sharing specific plans in the future."

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