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T.J.Maxx/Homegoodsis expressed interest in the vacant Guilford Walmart building, according to town officials.

The columns that support the plaza's canopy are no longer sound, according to the property owner, and must come down.

T.J.Maxx/Homegoodsis expressed interest in the vacant Guilford Walmart building, according to town officials.

GUILFORD — T.J.Maxx/Homegoods has expressed interest in moving into a portion of the vacant Walmart building in the Shoreline Plaza.

Walmart closed its Shoreline Plaza location at 900 Boston Post Road in May.

At a special meeting of the Design Review Committee, June 22, Nick Daly, one of the property owners, said T.J.Maxx/Homegoods is interested in occupying some 45,000 square feet of the 78,000- square-foot building, according to minutes of the meeting.

T.J.Maxx/Homegoods is “in the discussion phase” at this time, Daly stressed at the meeting.

Still, the public response has been positive so far, according to town officials.

“The public commenting has been pretty robust,” Sheri Cote, Guilford’s economic development director said.

“People are very excited and so there’s been a lot on social media,” she said.

Cote stressed “we’re still in the very early stages of this and there’s still a lot of work to be done before this is a done deal.”

Guilford Town Planner Jaime Stein agreed. “The public response our office has received regarding this announcement has been very positive,” she said.

“We are actively working with the Shoreline Plaza Ownership to ensure a successful transition of the space formerly occupied by Walmart,” Stein added.

Daly told the group “ it was a shock to have Wal-Mart leave the plaza.”

According to Daly, the additional 33,000 space portion of the space on the west end and could be occupied by “a medical user or perhaps a gym.”

At the meeting, much of the discussion centered on structural issues with the columns and canopy along the strip mall section of the plaza.

The wooden columns supporting the canopy need to be removed because of rot caused by water damage and the structures are unstable as they have no footings, according to an engineering report, Daly said.

While the existing canopy is some 12-feet-wide, the new renderings proposed a smaller canopy 6-feet-wide, with room to expand if necessary.

Committee member Mary Repetti said she “liked the cleaner look,” but felt “the canopy either had to work or it was merely decorative.”

Chairman William Thompson said “some people liked to shop under a covered walkway.”

Architect Jeff DeGraw discussed the drainage issue that currently exist at the mall.

DeGraw noted “the building had seen additions over the years some of which were not good. With no footings there was settling with water running in the wrong directions.”

Daly agreed saying there was no system for the water to escape and there was no ventilation “so the canopy was a festering mess,” he said. Daly said he believed it was “better long term to just remove it,” according to the minutes.

There was also discussion regarding T.J. Maxx prototype signage being affixed to the building.

After seeing a digital model of this DeGraw “was not in favor of this” and Thompson said “it was not appropriate.”

Repetti said she was “concerned about the signage that looked as though it was just stuck on.”

Making improvements to the mall would cost an estimated $2 million according to Daly.

“Glass fronts on the store appear to be OK but the pizza business had a metal front from the 1970s which would have to be updated,” the minutes said.

Daly said it would be helpful if the town allowed him to “do upgrades piecemeal,” according to the minutes.