Burlington Mall Overhaul Includes Mediterranean Restaurant

BURLINGTON, MA -- The Burlington Planning Board approved a special permit for Cava Mezze Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant, to locate at the Burlington Mall. The restaurant is the first business approved for the makeover of the end of the mall that was previously anchored by Sears, before the retailer closed last year.

Mall owner Simon Property Group is remaking the Sears store at the Burlington Mall into a "lifestyle center" with pedestrian areas connecting the mall to a new, stand-alone mixed-use building. The new 35,000 square-foot, single-story, retail and restaurant building would replace the Sears automotive center. Sears closed in April after 50 years at the mall.

The plan calls for a reduction of 18,000 square feet in retail space, but in a cover letter to its application, the mall's owners said they are "aggressively pursuing high-quality tenants to populate the new facilities which are intended appeal to the area retail market."

Simon Property Group announced its plan to renovate the mall in April, and expects the project to be complete in Spring 2019. In its current configuration, the mall has 1.3 million square feet of space and more than 160 stores.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).