The sale for the Cranberry Mall property still hasn’t closed.
Mall manager Jeff Clark told the Cranberry Township Economic Development Committee at the panel’s monthly meeting Tuesday that he had been told “nothing has been signed over yet.”
Clark said an official with California-based Elan Development, the current owners of the mall, said this was “normal” and the “lawyers just going back and forth.”
Clark said a representative of Dundas is expected to be in the area in the near future.
“They want to keep it as a retail shopping space,” said Clark.
Committee member Bonnie Summers she wants to support the new company when it takes over at the mall.
Cranberry Township supervisor and economic committee member Matt McSparren suggested the community could help the mall by hosting community events at the site.
“We can’t help them officially because it is a private enterprise, but this would raise the mall’s visibility,” McSparren said.
The committee also discussed again the ongoing need for senior housing in the township.
Township manager Eric Heil said that unless a developer is involved, “we are dead in the water.”
Heil said he had contacted Connect 55+, a division of Calamar, regarding the development of an independent senior living center but has had no response recently.
“They are in the business to make money,” Heil said. “If they are unable to fill a facility from the population from a five-mile radius they might have to go farther.”
“We do have an aging population that needs this kind of facility,” said Summers.
Committee member Judy Etzel urged everyone to complete a survey related to a new 10-year comprehensive plan for Venango County that is in the early stages.
“This will help us determine what our needs are,” Etzel said.
The survey is available online on the Venango County website.
The committee confirmed the Cranberry Festival will be held Sept. 16 this year.
The committee’s next meeting will be at 1 p.m. March 21 at the township building.
