NorthPoint Development, the new owners of Schuylkill Mall, plan to raze the building late this fall and put up new ones next spring that could house a variety of industrial uses, including manufacturing or logistics operations.

The Missouri-based company wants Schuylkill County commissioners to sign off on a 10-year program that would offer a 50 percent tax break on increased value to the property.The property now generates a total of $254,526 a year for the three taxing bodies - the county, New Castle Township and the Saint Clair Area School District.The low figure is the result of numerous assessment appeals over the decades.Under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act program, officials estimate the property would generate $588,913 a year after the redevelopment.After that, the revenue could escalate to about $1.178 million a year, Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation Vice President Brian J. Hansbury told county commissioners Wednesday.The company has waived any right to appeal its tax assessment until the construction is complete, he said."With this development, from a local taxing perspective, we're going from a property that was spinning off $254,526 annually for the local taxing bodies, to almost $1.2 million," he said. "From our perspective, it's a win-win."LERTA was created in 1977 to provide an incentive for companies to invest in and redevelop difficult or undesirable properties.The township and school district have already approved the program. County commissioners expect to follow suit when they meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday.The new buildings, one 890,000 square feet and the other 360,000 square feet, could support about 830 jobs, Hansbury said.The demolition will begin at the former BonTon site. The Pearl Theatre will remain through the Christmas season, he said.A McDonald's and a Cracker Barrel, which are on mall property, will remain in business.All of the roadways around the mall, including the bridge over Route 61 and the two bridges over the driveway ramps, are owned by NorthPoint.The company plans to isolate access to the industrial portion of the property, away from the commercial. That means people going to the McDonald's or Cracker Barrel won't have to contend with tractor-trailer traffic and employee shift change traffic, Hansbury said.Once a shopping meccaThe sprawling 800,000-square-foot mall was touted as a shopping mecca when it opened on Oct. 9, 1980.Empire Schuylkill LP purchased the mall for $17.6 million in 2007.In 2016, Empire Schuylkill declared bankruptcy. The company holding its $27 million mortgage was trying to have the mall sold at a sheriff's sale.Once home to 115 stores, the mall is now nearly empty.NorthPoint in January bid $2.1 million for the site. In May, it gave the remaining businesses in the mall 60 to 90 days to vacate.NorthPoint gave the stores wiggle room, and even seed money to relocate, Hansbury said.NorthPoint, which is expanding in Pennsylvania, is "very aggressive, but also very community-minded," Hansbury said.The company previously bought a building in the HighRidge Business Park, expanded it and found a tenant, he said.Commissioners had good things to say about the project.Commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. praised SEDCO for its work on the development."We're happy to have you as an integral part of what we do," he said."This is a win for the taxing bodies and for the citizens of Schuylkill County," said Commissioner Gary J. Hess. "It's sad to see the mall go, but the way times are changing, everybody is buying online so you have to reinvent yourself."Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier called the purchase and development a "win-win. The sad part is we're losing the mall. The upside is that we're going to put it to good use. The local taxing bodies aren't going to lose any revenue. They're going to gain revenue, and hopefully, quite a few jobs."