"I mean, it’s a fantastic looking shopping center and then you have this monstrosity of a hole in the middle of the parking lot,” said Weston Eberly, a shopper from Hershey.
“It makes shopping a little crazy because you have to walk over the different things. It’s definitely a bit of an eye sore, no doubt,” said Dan Schoedel, a shopper from York.
An eyesore shocking not only spectators and store employees, but also shopping center management.
“When we learned of it, we were obviously concerned,” said Monica Trego, general manager of the Tanger Outlets Lancaster.
It was August 10th when a giant sinkhole opened up in the middle of the Tanger Outlets in East Lampeter Township.
Now, six months later, we’re learning more about what caused it.
“They did determine that there were multiple factors that caused the collapse,” said Trego.
One of those factors, according to Trego, was a failure with the stormwater management system.
Trego was not able to comment on whether or not the excessive rain we saw last year played a role in the collapse.
And that collapse still has some shoppers nervous.
“Standing right here, right next to it, I mean you never know! I’m sure the people that were involved had no idea, either, that, suddenly you’re sinking. It’s dangerous!” said Eberly.
But Trego assures the public that the rest of the parking lot has been thoroughly inspected and is secure.
She says the full report outlining all the details of the collapse and plans to rebuild is being handled by the Tanger Outlet Corporate Office.
But throughout construction, she says shoppers won’t notice much of a change.
“We’ll continue to promote all of the retailers through our banners and signing, again, to just make sure the message is out there that all of our stores are open and will continue to be open throughout the construction project,” said Trego.
Trego could not comment on how much the project will cost.
We are told construction will begin within the next two weeks, and will likely take a few months to complete.