MAYVILLE – With more and more retailers leaving the Chautauqua Mall, the owners are making a pitch to have county government relocate some of its offices there.

During the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting, Summit Properties presented a plan to have professional office space there. Proposed departments include Temporary Assistance/Medicaid, Probation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Child Welfare, the Department of Health and Human Services Administration, Nursing and Environmental Health, and the Legal Department.

County Executive PJ Wendel said after the presentation no decisions have been made. He said they’re mainly looking at the county operations in Jamestown. No major relocations are being proposed for either Dunkirk or Mayville.

Denis Nezaj, the chief operating officer with Summit Properties, noted they bought the mall about two and a half years ago, and six months ago took over managing it.

They have a large portfolio, operating about 30 malls in the U.S., but also have properties in London, Germany and Israel.

Nezaj believes the mall could be a regional hub. “We do believe this can be a great addition to the community there by centralizing all these offices into one (location),” he said, adding that the current retailers there would benefit from the additional foot traffic.

Their design showed plans of the main entrance adding a new drop off zone, windows and facade. There would also be an exterior area, previously used by Sears, for staff to sit outside.

The build out area for the county offices was on the opposite side of the mall that sits along East Fairmount Avenue.

There would be “green space” built in. It would have separate public and staff entrances, a break room, and a waiting area for the public.

Developers said there’s about 84,000 square feet available proposed for the county offices added it could be “flexed.”

Nezaj said they have talked to some of the mall’s current retailers about the idea of relocating county government offices there. “The feedback that we got from the whole retail community was unbelievable. We know that this would drive strong retailers to the mall and make it shine like it used to be several years back,” he said.

No elected officials spoke following the virtual presentation.

After the legislature meeting, Wendel noted they’ve been in discussions about this for about two years.

When discussions began, there had been problems with the south county office building. “Things have gotten better. They’re much improved recently, but again we need to look at what’s the best system for delivering our services,” Wendel said.

Wendel noted the county’s first priority is meeting the needs of its clients. The mall would offer a “one-stop shop” with plenty of parking. “We would be consolidating three office buildings in Jamestown to one location,” he said.

He said should the county offices move, he thinks there will be an increase in CHQ Transit, so clients can travel between Jamestown and Lakewood. “I’m excited about this opportunity,” he said.

Wendel noted this would benefit staff as well. “This would be the first time that we’ve taken an investment in our employees. … Due to budget constraints and doing the best we can for our residents and our taxes, we often defer projects, remodeling and maintenance for our buildings,” he said.

Wendel said the biggest concern is leaving the city of Jamestown. “I’ve talked to the mayor (Kim Ecklund). She was aware this presentation was coming. We’ve been in constant contact,” he said.

Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon, R-Ellery, called the proposal “an interesting concept” but said he needs more information. “I don’t know what the costs would be, compared to our current costs are,” he said.