NATCHEZ — The Natchez mall is about to get a little bigger.

That’s because an expansion project by the Tabani Group, the mall’s owner, is currently in the works that will grow the mall by 12,000 square feet.

That new growth will add four new retail shops and possibly one restaurant said mall manager Marie Lofton.

But the new growth will not be within the confines of the mall.

Instead, Lofton said the project calls for the construction of a strip-mall in front of the already existing mall.

While preliminary work started approximately two weeks ago Lofton said recent rains have slowed the project’s progress.

“The weather plays a big part in it,” she said of the project.

Regardless of weather Ross Harle, Tabani’s asset manager, said Dec. 31, is the projected date to have construction completed and possibly have new businesses moved in.

“We hope to be operational by then,” he said.

While the project is still in the early stages, Harle said two shops have already signed on to lease space in the new facility.

Lofton said so far a video game store and a beauty supply shop have signed up to be part of the mall’s extended family.

And Harle said the decision to develop outside the physical structure of the mall is a trend that’s becoming increasingly popular in mall development.

“There’s a great deal of space there,” he said of the parking lot area. “And it’s a great way to create some buzz outside the mall.”