Although no more tenants for the Summit Fair Lifestyle Center have been announced, RED Development is pleased the project is on schedule — with Macy’s and JC Penney to open the first week of August.

“That’s all the tenants that are committed to opening up in August,” said Dave Claflin, RED vice president of marketing. “Right now we’re in the process of talking with restaurants and retailers who have indicated an interest and figuring out exactly who’s going to open up when.”

In September, RED and Lee’s Summit Mayor Karen Messerli announced that retailers Coldwater Creek, DSW, Ulta, Jos A. Bank, American Eagle and Victoria’s Secret committed to the 550,000 square foot lifestyle center. But Claflin said the chains have yet to commit to an opening date.

In addition to those committed tenants, he said the company is in the process of talking with “a number of other retailers and restaurants.”

Claflin said the economy is affecting the retailer’s decisions on when to open in Summit Fair.

“Definitely the economy has affected us,” Claflin said. “A lot of national retailers are now focusing on expanding and growing their existing stores instead of growing and expanding their market, which is how it had been for years.”

But Claflin said RED is expecting to get more opening date commitments within the next two months.

Additionally, the company is optimistic about the lifestyle center despite the struggling economy.

“When you look at other companies and developers right now, we’re really moving along at a good pace, he said. “We’re one of the few living up to the size and scale of development that we started at.”

Claflin said construction at Summit Fair is on time and on schedule, with grand opening festivities of the center and the two anchor stores planned just in time for the Back to School sales tax holiday weekend.

“Now we’re just trying to get other tenants to open with them,” he said.

To reach Journal reporter Miranda Wycoff, call 816-282-7017 or e-mail mwycoff@lsjournal.com.