COLORADO MILLS SETS SIGHTS ON HOLIDAY RETURN

Colorado Mills, the Lakewood shopping center rocked by a hailstorm this month, has confirmed that it may not reopen in its entirety until the crucial holiday shopping season.

“We are currently unable to estimate when the entire mall will reopen for business to the public but believe it will be in time for this year’s holiday shopping season,” officials said in a statement on the mall’s website.

Anchor tenants with their own exterior entrances will reopen as soon as they are able, the statement said. Super Target and the UA Colorado Mills Stadium 16 movie theater are among those already back in business.

“Thankfully our mall shoppers and our tenants’ employees did not sustain any injuries caused by the hail storm,” the statement said. “However, the hail created openings in the roof, which allowed rain water to intrude into the mall interior, including all common areas and tenant spaces. We have already commenced remediation and restoration efforts and we are working with our insurers and others to ensure that Colorado Mills reopens as soon as possible.”

Lakewood officials have said the city gets an average of $350,000 per month in sales tax from the mall, not counting proceeds from Super Target and several other adjacent businesses that are still operating at the site. A six-month closure could cost the city $2.1 million.