The mall, built on an old trolley complex in use until 1945, became a shopping mall in the early 1970s. Real estate investment company ScanlanKemperBard Cos, which purchased the property last year, is partnering with developer Blake Hunt Ventures to overhaul the existing mall, add Utah's first Whole Food natural grocery store and rebuild the mall's aging parking structure.

That overhaul had included adding condominiums or apartments on the west end of the Trolley Square property, which is located on the block between 500 South and 600 South and 600 East and 700 East.

But Tom Bard of ScanlanKemperBard said his company instead will add about 37,000 square feet of retail space - five or six stores - to the west of the mall on the same level as the main mall above a new underground parking structure. Residences will now be built south of 600 South on property that is now mainly a surface parking lot.

Bard said the decision to remove the residential component in the first phase of development has nothing to do with the tragedy that occurred at the mall on Feb. 12, when 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic went on a rampage and shot nine people in and around Trolley Square, killing five of them.

Rather, the two companies have determined providing the parking needed to support residences at that location would be much cheaper than on the west side of the main mall, Bard said.

A number of people who live near Trolley Square were disappointed in the new plan.

"We were definitely happier when there was a residential component on the west side," said Thomas Mutter, chairman of the Central City Neighborhood Council, which includes Trolley Square,

That said, Mutter praised Trolley Square developers for their efforts to listen to what people in the community have to say about their plans and in some cases, tweak their plans.

Work on rebuilding the parking structure will begin in mid-May; once that is completed work on the additional retail space will begin, Bard said. Work on the original mall is scheduled to begin any day pending approval of a final permit.

The companies are planning a major interior renovation of the shopping center that will reorient the mall and get rid of the mall's "dark feel" and dated design, said Bard. Skylights will be uncovered and dead-end corridors removed.

The work should add about 20,000 square feet of retail space to the 160,000-square-feet, two-story shopping center. Bard said work on the 50,000 square foot Whole Foods store should begin by late fall, with opening set for late 2008 or early 2009.

Much of the work on the mall will be done after business hours so that existing retailers - and shoppers - are affected as little as possible. Okland Construction of Salt Lake City, which has experience in after-hours renovation work, has been hired to handle the renovation.

Bard said the tragedy at the mall has not affected Trolley's sales, which are up "a bit" from last year, he said.

"The support of customers and community has been outstanding," he said. "You couldn't hope for a stronger response."

Several merchants, however, are still leaving the mall because of rent increases proposed by Trolley owners.

Years ago, in an effort to fill numerous vacancies in the aging property, the former owner brought in a number of tenants at reduced rent. Many of those leases are month-to-month in nature, and Trolley owners have notified these tenants their rent is going up.

Trolley tenant Vida Allahverdi said she has operated Studio V2 clothing store in the mall for eight years.

Last month, she said she was asked to sign a long-term lease with rent four times higher than she is paying now. She refused to pay the higher rents and was told she has to be out of Trolley by next week.

"Everyone is asking if I'm leaving because of the shooting," she said. "I tell them no, it's been bought and they are raising everyone's rent. It's pretty sad."

Most tenants, however, hope to remain in the mall - now and in the future.

Eric Moldenhauer of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory said his company is vacating Trolley - but only for a few months during the remodeling this summer. But they vow to be back. "We are excited they are redoing the mall - it will be so much nicer," he said.