ENFIELD, CT (WGGB/WSHM) -- Plans to redevelop Enfield Square Mall into apartments and new retail space have collapsed after a development agreement between a Nebraska-based developer and the mall’s owner expired.

The setback comes months after the town shut down the mall’s main concourse following safety code violations discovered after winter storm damage. The attached Target store remains open, operating independently behind temporary barricades that separate it from the closed mall.

Town inspectors closed the main concourse earlier this year after finding multiple safety code violations, including inadequate heat, malfunctioning fire alarm panels, and water damage in the vacant movie theater after pipes burst during wintry weather in February. Only a handful of businesses and community organizations were still operating inside the mall before the shutdown and many have since been forced to relocate.

Long-term plans called for demolishing the aging mall and redeveloping the 70-acre property into a mixed-use community with housing, retail, and other amenities. Enfield Town Manager Matthew Coppler said in a statement that the expiration of the agreement is a setback, but does not eliminate the opportunity the site presents. “The expiration of the existing purchase agreement is certainly a setback, but it does not change the underlying opportunity the Enfield Square Mall site presents,” he explained. “The Town continues to receive interest in the property, is engaged in ongoing discussions with stakeholders, and remains focused on achieving a redevelopment outcome that benefits both residents and the broader community.”

Enfield resident Alexander Torres, who said he grew up visiting the mall, said the decline has been years in the making. “It was mentioned that they were supposed to be apartment complexes here, which would be nice because it’d be more homes for a lot of people around here,” he noted. “But whatever they plan to do with it, I mean, anything new is good.”

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