If you’ve driven by the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City lately, it’s impossible to miss the massive construction project. At this point next year, the former site of Macy’s will house the largest store ever built by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The two-level, 140,000-square-foot “House of Sport” will be the first of its kind for the Southern Tier, featuring a massive turf field outside the mall, which will double as an ice rink in the winter.

“It seemed like the perfect storm, if you will, to work together, and we're going to be transitioning into other aspects of the mall as well,” said Marc Newman, a partner with Spark JC LLC, the new ownership group taking over what will soon be known as the “Oakdale Commons.“

He watches as his dream becomes a reality, a re-imagining of a mall that at one point, had a bleak future. While still a popular site for shopping, it lost Bon-Ton, Sears, Macy’s and a number of big-name stores, all within the past five years.

It’s forced Newman and the ownership group to rethink the future of the mall, a move that could act as a model for malls across the state and even the country.

“I think it's already happening, to a certain extent, depending where it is. I think the mixed-use concept that we're doing here is something that will happen across the country,” said Newman.

That re-imagining has already begun, with Xcite Wrestling over a former Rue 21, and a massive fitness center, restaurant and county offices now housed in the former Sears.

But this is just the beginning.

Newman said the success the mall has had following the change in focus has generated interest from a variety of restaurants and companies.

“If it wasn't going in the direction it's going, I don't want to even think about the direction it would be going in. It's going to be a great project,” said Newman.

Malls across the region have found themselves in a similar boat, but so far, this move has generated a lot of positivity, and Newman can’t help but smile.

“It's been unbelievable. We work on this every day and night. We're all motivated. I think I could speak, I know I could speak for my brother. I'm pretty sure I could speak for the Matthews family. We're equally all excited and on a huge level, it brings us great satisfaction,” said Newman.

Panera Bread and Chipotle are confirmed to be coming to mall in the near future. There could be a number of new announcements in the coming months.