Given what’s happening to old malls around the country, we can’t argue with Ellen Barnes’ desire to create an area plan for the area around the Chautauqua Mall.

It would be nice if more information was forthcoming to the Lakewood Village Board member to support her effort to be proactive rather than reactive. That is, after all, what we typically beg for from an elected official. It’s frustrating to see Barnes’ efforts stymied.

What to do as anchor tenants in shopping malls declare bankruptcy and eventually close has been a problem for years. We’ve seen it in the Chautauqua Mall, too, as anchor tenants close and spaces remain open for years on end. Barnes and her fellow elected officials have no control over what goes on inside the property – but they have a say in what happens around the property and the way the property should look like. That’s why Barnes and the rest of the Lakewood Village Board are mulling hiring Brian Kulpa to write an area plan for the area around the mall. Zoning changes may be necessary to help transform the mall property into an area that looks like a key artery in the village again rather than what one sees when they drive by the Warren Mall. Village officials have every right to be concerned. A dying mall hurts neighboring property values, is a drag on village tax receipts and could eventually become an eyesore. Chautauqua Mall may never return to its 1980s heyday, but it’s still an important parcel for the village’s future.

Kulpa has recommended the village wait to take action until more information is available from the mall and from Chautauqua County, which is considering moving its offices into the former Sears portion of the mall property. In our opinion, what the village is asking isn’t unreasonable. An area plan makes a lot of sense for such a key area. It’s something the county and village should pursue.