A $180-million plan to redevelop Eastland Mall was unveiled Thursday morning, as city leaders contemplate the future of the 32 year-old “centerpiece” of east Charlotte.

The mall, which opened in 1975 and was remodeled in 1990, has recently seen the closing of its Belk department store. Several storefronts near the mall are shuttered.

Addressing an audience of more than 100 people Thursday morning, Mayor Pat McCrory said he hopes to revitalize the eastside area that he said was poorly planned when construction began in the area more than three decades ago.

“We built crap. We built pure crap. I call it corridors of crap…and we’re paying for it now,” McCrory said.

The 1 million square-foot mall would be torn down to make way for hundreds of condos and town homes as well as restaurants and shops. The project would be about one-third the size of the current mall, with the remaining space becoming park land and open space.

Some neighbors who attended the plan’s unveiling expressed skepticism after seeing other failed attempts to revitalize the area in recent years.

Vincent Frisina, who has lived in east Charlotte since 1979, said he had heard previous plans for a multiplex movie theater and restaurants.

“There was the joy that something was going to be done and then the realization that nothing was actually getting done,” Frisina said.

Glimcher Realty Trust, based in Columbus, Ohio, owns most of the 90-acre mall site. City leaders say the company has not made a commitment to redevelop the property.

“They’re participating, they’re evaluating their stances, and they’re supportive,” Council member Nancy Carter said.

The Urban Land Institute, a Washington-based non-profit group specializing in land redevelopment, drafted the plan for city leaders. A proposed timetable says construction could begin in five years with construction complete by 2019.

ULI planners recommend dropping the ‘Eastland’ name. They said recent media reports of crime near the mall have created a stigma surrounding the name.

Several neighbors said they are hopeful the project will become reality.

“This time we’re planning on holding them to the burner and make sure that something starts taking place,” neighbor Darrell Bonapart said.

During the plan's unveiling, McCrory further explained his description of the area as “corridors of crap.”

"Excuse the term; I refer to them as corridors of crap,” McCrory said. “I'm not talking about the businesses -- I’m talking about the design.”

Tiffani Huntley, who owns a shop at Salon Central on the east side, said she had mixed feelings about the comment.

“I understand where he's coming from, but I wouldn't say that it's crap,” Huntley said.