Sound Off: What Can Be Done to Help Plaza Businesses With the Mall in Limbo?

Amid all the talk , one fact sometimes gets forgotten: There are still businesses there. Not many, relative to the size of the mall, but there are some, and most of them are hanging on by their fingernails. These are small businesses run by people for whom the Plaza is one of the best options out there from a rent perspective.

Bruce Provo, president of the Provo Group, which owned and operated the Plaza, has very little at this point to do with the future development of the site. The property has been foreclosed upon and he's running it at the request of the receiver.

But Provo has been involved with the Plaza in one way or another for the past 33 years. He said he still cares about the owners of the businesses there, and he has some ideas for how to turn the failing mall into a viable site at a cost significantly less than total redevelopment. His plan would also preserve what he considers the most viable parts of the physical structure, and provide a home for the businesses trying to make a go of it.

We'll further explore what Provo proposes in the near future, but for now lets hear your ideas for how to help the existing Plaza businesses make a go of it. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on what those businesses could do in the event a buyer emerges who proposes a total redevelopment.