Last modified: Thursday, May 24, 2007 2:32 PM PDT A Washington state-based developer has purchased West Park Plaza in Ontario. The developer, Vien Bui, said one key element to his decision was the lack of a sales tax in Ontario. Retail renaissance? By Andy Gates - Argus Observer ONTARIO - West Park Plaza was purchased last week by a Washington-based real-estate investor, and the move could signal the beginning of a retail renaissance for the 36-year-old indoor mall. Real-estate investor Vien Bui, based out of Everett, Wash., bought the mall last week, he said. “I am looking at this as an opportunity to reopen the mall,” Bui said. Bui came to the U.S. from Vietnam almost 27 years ago, and he owns seven retail centers in Washington and California, he said. West Park Plaza, now called Ontario Mall LLC, is Bui’s first retail center in Oregon, he said. “My plan is not to tear (it) down, but to keep it as is and re-tenent it,” Bui said. The prospect of more merchants at the mall is welcome, Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick said. “I think it’s awesome. I’m really excited with the prospect that he won’t leave it vacant like the previous owner. I’m sure the city will work with him as best we can to help encourage businesses in, and (we) have an easy process getting it open out there,” Dominick said. The advent of the Ontario Marketplace — nestled just off Interstate 84 in east Ontario — has sparked a retail business boom. At the same time, commerce has dwindled at West Park Plaza. The mall has a vacancy of around 60 percent, Bui said. “It’s my cup of tea to turn that around,” he said. Dominick said shoppers will venture deeper into the city as businesses lease out the mall. “We’ll get a reason to draw people into this side of town,” Dominick said. Dominick said the decline of West Park Plaza was related to rent-rate competition between the old mall and newer retail space in Ontario Marketplace. “When it started declining, that had a lot to do with the cost of rent,” Dominick said. The cost to lease retail space in the old mall and the new marketplace were comparable, Dominick said. However, that could soon change. Bui said he plans to offer attractive rental rates to future tenants. “My cup of tea is to acquire properties with low prices and pass savings to future tenants with (an) attractive rental rate,” Bui said. Bui said he has enlisted the help of a local Realtor to lease and manage the mall. Waldo Real Estate Sales Associate Carla Greenfield-Malson has been named as the mall’s property manager and leasing agent. “We’re not releasing a lot of information yet,” Greenfield-Malson said. However, packages are being put together for new tenants and more details will be available next week, she said. Bui said a possible direction for the mall could be to bring in retail tenants that are needed in the area, such as clothing stores. “The key is to bring in big tenants, and small mom and pop shops will follow,” Bui said. Bui said he likes Ontario and the lack of sales tax was an enticing commercial lure into the city. He said he was notified about the mall by an “agent in the industry” in February. “I will look to see how to make it a better place for people to shop there,” Bui said. The mall sold for $7.7 million according to a deed for the property filed May 16 with the Malheur County Clerk’s Office. Further information about the mall can be viewed online at http://www.ontarioshoppingmall.com