UPDATE: New off-price store at Westdale Mall could open door for more announcements

A nationally-known off-price retailer will launch a first-ever Iowa store at the Westdale Mall area now under redevelopment in Cedar Rapids.

Ross Dress for Less signed a lease with Westdale to take half the ground level space at the old Von Maur store site.

This is the first tenant announced for the former anchor store building that remained standing when most of the old mall was demolished.

Ross operates 1,342 stores in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. Lisa Rowe, general manager at Westdale Mall, says this news could lead to more retailers following suit.

"We're working on a couple of other deals for that space as well as Ross Dress for Less. That is going to move those deals along," Rowe said.

The mall must finish work on the old Von Maur site before the new company can begin remodeling to open. Rowe said that should probably happen sometime this summer.

She also said construction for other previously-signed deals, including a new hotel in a one-time parking lot, should also begin sometime this spring.