Editorial: And the mall came tumbling down

With a collective sigh of relief and the lowering of a sign, demolition of the biggest eyesore in Laurel finally began this week. Laurel Mall, which has maintained a large footprint on Route 1 for more than 30 years and lately has fallen into disrepair, is finally coming down, to be replaced with this century's version of the shopping mall: An open-air grouping of stylishly designed, free-standing buildings that face a tree-lined parking area. As illustrated in the site drawings distributed by developer Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, the corner of Route 1 and Cherry Lane will no longer be dominated by a fortress-like, multi-level parking garage (that has been crumbling for years), but will offer an inviting entertainment and retail campus that beckons drivers to enter from Route 1 on a wide promenade.

August 14, 2012