The steel framework of what will be a sports pavilion at Corridor Plaza seems to get bigger every day.

On the opposite side of the property that used to be Crossroads Mall, a fence has gone up around the area where a Chick-fil-A restaurant will be built.

Earthmovers are rumbling around another section of the complex, while workers go in and out of the old Younkers wing of the mall that is being converted into a row of stores that will include Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Maurice’s and Shoe Sensation.

It seems like suddenly there is a whole lot of activity at Corridor Plaza. It is certainly welcome activity.

The plan to replace the mall with a multi-use complex was announced in late 2019, and the new owner, Crossroads Plaza Development LLC, of Ankeny, closed the deal to buy the site in early 2020. But the redevelopment process has seemed like a long, slow drag since then. The pandemic that shut down much of the economy for about a year didn’t help either.

Some may have thought the project was a failure. We would not be surprised to learn that even the developers were frustrated just a little bit by the slow progress.

But now momentum is building. Those stores in the former Younkers wing of the mall are all expected to be open before the Christmas shopping season begins. And once these new businesses and the sports pavilion are open, they will create more activity in Corridor Plaza, which will attract more businesses.

When it comes to growing Corridor Plaza, it seems clear that patience will pay off.

We eagerly wait to see what will develop there next.