After months of store closings and stagnation, the Chestnut Hill shopping corridor along Route 9 appears poised for a revival.
The owner of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center unveiled plans last week to expand part of the complex and perhaps add a cineplex at the site of the shuttered Macy’s department store.
WS Development hopes to renovate the property along Hammond Pond with more stores and restaurants similar to the Cottage, which recently opened near Legal Sea Foods.
“There is tremendous restaurant interest in Chestnut Hill, and we are targeting some chef-driven restaurants,’’ said Dick Marks, a partner in the firm.
On the opposite side of Route 9, developers of the former Omni Foods Supermarkets site said they were close to a settlement with two other rival malls that would allow construction of a replacement supermarket, 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, a fitness club, and a medical office building.
Simon Property Group, which owns the Atrium Mall and the Mall at Chestnut Hill, had appealed Newton’s decision to approve a permit for Chestnut Hill Square, the name of the supermarket project, saying that the project would add traffic and hurt its two nearby businesses.
“We’ve come to an agreement, and we believe the appeal will be withdrawn,’’ said Douglass Karp, executive vice president for Newton-based New England Development, which is building Chestnut Hill Square.
Asked about that appeal, representatives of Simon e-mailed a statement: “We continue to stay focused on the development and implementation of our strategic plan for Atrium Mall and Mall at Chestnut Hill. We look forward to communicating more in the future,’’ wrote Ron Hanson, the company’s regional senior vice president for New England.
The Atrium Mall has seen several high-profile store closings in the last couple of years, including the exit of Williams-Sonoma, Abercrombie & Fitch, and, more recently, Borders Books and Music, which occupied about 10 percent of the mall’s square footage.
Across Route 9, the other Simon property, the Mall at Chestnut Hill, which is anchored by Bloomingdale’s, lost its Talbots store June 11. Tiffany & Co. will move from the Atrium into the women’s clothing store’s space.
Karp said his Chestnut Hill Square project is going “full tilt.’’ Workers were finishing up asbestos abatement last week and were preparing for demolition as soon as this week, he said.
Karp said they are in talks with a grocery store and could announce its tenant in the next month.
Meanwhile, Newton’s Board of Aldermen received detailed plans last week from WS Development, which is seeking a special permit to renovate and expand part of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center.
