Westfield Montgomery Mall announced over the summer that it’s planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations and expansions in the coming years.

The goal is for Westfield Montgomery to become a lifestyle destination as opposed to a traditional mall, Westfield’s vice president of development Jim Agliata said.

“Throughout my 28 years at Westfield Montgomery, talking with our neighbors and customers, a lot of people have told me they’d like to add an outdoor shopping experience,” CEO of Chesapeake Public Strategies Ellen Coren, who represents Westfield, said. “The departure of Sears allows us to make the Westfield experience even better by adding that feature.”

Sears will leave the mall at the end of March after over 50 years, and the building will be demolished.

The proposed changes include adding a 12-story apartment building, a hotel, a country club style fitness center and additional green space. These additions are scheduled to be built in phases; the apartment will be built first, followed by the fitness center, pool and hotel. The majority of the buildings will be constructed on the Westlake Terrace portion of the mall.

To accommodate the increase in both residents and visitors that the new additions would bring, a 516 space parking garage will also be built.

Students are excited about the proposed addition. The last major renovation of a part of the mall occured in 2013 and 2014, when the old food court was replaced with a two-level dining terrace and the Arclight cinema.

“The mall is lacking a lot of things, and the stores currently there are getting pretty boring,” sophomore Jack Goldman said. “A changeup and some new things would be nice.”

Westfield has submitted a site plan amendment to the Montgomery County Planning Board, but the plan is currently under review and needs to be approved in order for the project to move forward. The Planning Board determines whether the proposed development provides adequate public facilities, appropriate infrastructure like water and sewage, protects the environment and preserves any historical resources.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2022.