Forest Acres officials are refining the plan to turn the old Richland Mall into a reworked retail and residential hub.

The city’s planning commission approved the zoning plan for the 5-year demolition and construction process Sept. 22. The plan includes three phases. Apartments and a city park will be built first, followed by a Kroger grocery store, other retail space and additional mixed-use development.

The park’s 6 acres will include an “amphitheater, a large market area for farmer’s markets and will be seen as an entertainment space for children,” Lynnsey Baker, director of communications and community development for the city of Forest Acres.

Baker said the first buildings will be open to the public in the fall of 2027 as part of Phase One.

Some meeting attendees were in favor of the plan. One local resident, Rebecca Creel, addressed the commission via Zoom, expressing her disappoint in learning about a Kroger Center being placed in the center rather than a non-grocer.

“If you think about the corridor from (Interstate) 77 to the current Kroger, we have, I think five grocers in between that space,” she said. “… I do have some disappointment at the idea that we have an opportunity to really put something unique and magnetic for Forest Acres.”

David Black, a city councilman, said afterward in an interview that he thinks the retail mix is a good one.

 “I am a firm believer in private-public partnerships, and this project is a great example,” Black said. “Infill redevelopment can be economically challenging and finding the right mix of retail, housing and public space has proven to be successful in many areas of the country.”

Phase Three is still being planned and could include a hotel, according to the commission.

The meeting ended with a vote for approval.