Dear Johnnie: When we finally redevelop the mall, wouldn’t it make sense to do everything we can to attract as many people as possible? Have Panattoni and the City Council considered putting a hockey/ice skating rink in, surrounded by a food court with views of Longs Peak, and building a mall around it? It would attract amateur/kids’ leagues and more, making our mall unique. Add a state-of-the-art movie theater with stadium seating. It would boost our economy and just might put Longmont on the map instead of being Boulder’s redheaded stepchild! What do you think? — Let’s Do It Right

Dear Mr. (or Ms.) Right: There is nothing wrong with redheads. Actually, I’m kind of partial to them.

That being said, many ideas have been suggested about what should happen at Twin Peaks Mall when it is redeveloped. One of those suggestions was an ice rink. But just because it was suggested doesn’t mean it will happen. In fact, city officials and Panattoni Development Co., which owns the mall, aren’t really to that point yet.

Panattoni and the city are still working to get the first steps in place to help redevelopment, which includes creating an urban renewal plan for the area. That plan would allow the Longmont City Council to help fund public improvements, such as streets, sidewalks, infrastructure and public plazas.

An urban renewal area would allow the city to promise a portion of future tax revenue (tax revenue that would be generated only by shoppers spending money at a new mall) to help finance redevelopment sooner. It’s kind of like you borrowing money from a friend to buy a business suit to go to a job interview that would get you a nice, fat raise. With all that extra money, you can pay your pal back. Or at least buy him dinner.

Anyway, here’s the thing: The city can’t demand specifics of what will be in the mall itself, such as a Whole Foods or a Chico’s or an ice rink or a view of Longs Peak. Panattoni officials, council members, nearby property owners and residents have worked together to come up with a vision of the mall area and now have a long list of ideas for the property — but no details yet.

Panattoni must first know if it’ll have help from the city to finance redevelopment, then the company can move on to more detailed plans about design, layout and possible stores. The market, not city officials or Panattoni, drives retailers’ decisions about where to locate, so some stores, such as IKEA and Trader Joe’s, aren’t likely to land in Longmont.

However, Panattoni is still hoping to do a first phase of redevelopment that would include a new, state-of-the-art movie theater. The company is continuing talks with Regal Entertainment Group, which owns the Twin Peaks 10 theater at the mall. A new theater would sit either at the former J.C. Penney site on the west side or at the vacant Dillard’s to the south.