A former suburban mall near Chattanooga, Tennessee, has

A former suburban mall near Chattanooga, Tennessee, has increased its retail occupancy dramatically as a result of a plan to convert it to a 70-acre mixed-use town center. Eastgate Town Center had a 27 percent occupancy rate in 1997 that has risen to 93 percent today. Five anchor tenants have committed to long term leases because of the town center concept, according to Gerry Chauvin, vice president of developer Eastgate Enterprises. Designed by Dover-Kohl and Partners, the $21 million project will have 910 apartment units, a hotel, and 1,620,803 square feet of office and retail space after completion. The outside of the mall will be refurbished to give it an urban facade, with storefronts accessible from the street. Parking lots outside the mall will be coverted to urban blocks, and three of five new buildings planned around a central urban park are currently under construction.