Fairfax County’s Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay thinks the Springfield Mall is still a safe place to shop, but he understands why some area residents might be too spooked to visit the half-empty facility.

More than half the mall’s storefronts are currently vacant while officials at Vornado Realty Trust, the mall’s New York-based owner, figure out plans for redevelopment.

A poll running now with the story on Rose Hill Patch shows about half of respondents say they do not feel safe at the mall, even though most of the crime there is shoplifting.

McKay believes pending redevelopment will help shoppers feel safer.

Read more about the mall, its safety record and the redevelopment on Rose Hill Patch.