The owners and retailers in the Holiday Village Mall are working to subdivide the property into five lots.

The mall is located on 10th Avenue South on a 30.074 acre parcel.

The city planning board voted unanimously during Tuesday’s meeting to recommend that the City Commission approve the subdivision.

According to the application from the mall ownership, the subdivision will allow for flexibility in redevelopment at the mall and encourage investment in the newly created parcels.

As individual parcels, retailers could purchase their lots and associated land so they could make their own changes or investments in their property. It also opens flexibility for future ownership should a retailer leave the mall.

The former Herberger’s space is already an independent parcel from the mall. Harbor Freight is opening soon in a portion of that space.

Harbor Freight is coming to Great Falls

The subdivision approval includes a condition requiring a reciprocal easement agreement as well as declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions that addresses shared parking, access, landscaping and maintenance.

The proposed five lots are zoned C-2 General Commercial and would range in size from 0.801 acres to 14.299 acres, according to the staff report.

Parking and access are proposed to be shared between the owners of the five lots. Also, maintenance of the parking lot, drive aisles, landscaping and utilities would be shared between owners, according to city staff and the applicant.

Jana Cooper, of TD&H Engineering, spoke on behalf of the applicant during Tuesday’s meeting and said their team appreciated city staff’s efforts to work through some of the perculiarties in subdividing the property.

Planning Board Member Pete Fontana asked why the mall didn’t opt to use a condo format for splitting up spaces and Cooper said that the retailers preferred the subdivision model instead.

Fontana said a condo scenario would include maintenance agreements and Cooper said that such agreements already exist and are included in the proposed subdivision. The proposed operation and reciprocal easement agreement was included in the packets of information provided to each planning board member. It’s also available in the meeting packet on the city website.

Subdividing shopping malls isn’t unique to Great Falls and has been considered at malls nationwide, including recently at Sandburg Mall in Galesburg, Ill.; the Shops at Ithaca Mall in Michigan; among others.

The requested subdivision next goes to the City Commission for approval.