Part of Ross Park Mall will come tumbling down in January.

Demolition of the store that formerly housed Horne's, Lazarus and Macy's will begin in late January to make way for the first Nordstrom in southwestern Pennsylvania, expected to open in October 2008.

The rest of the mall will continue to operate during the work, said Scott Richardson, director of development for Simon Property Group, owners of the mall.

Ross commissioners Monday granted site approval for the project.

Board members requested and received assurances from Simon that it would improve landscaping around the shopping complex.

That promise pleased Karla Maruca, vice president of the Kinvara Civic Association, an organization of those who live near the mall. She had urged township officials to require Simon, based in Indianapolis, and Penn Ross Joint Venture, the project developer, to plant additional trees and, possibly, maintain an existing fence.

Plans call for planting 18 hemlocks, each 7 to 8 feet tall, on the perimeter of mall property, landscape architect Michael W. Takacs told the commissioners. Hemlocks will provide a denser sight and sound barrier than the white pines used elsewhere on the tract, he said.

The question of who owns a 20-year-old fence that encloses part of the property remains unresolved, said Kevin F. McKeegan, the developers' attorney. If the fence is on mall land, Simon will maintain it, he said.

Mr. McKeegan described the Nordstrom project as a key element in the reinvigoration of the McKnight Road mall. The two-story Nordstrom store will contain about 144,000 square feet.

Demolition will not begin until after the holiday shopping season, he said. The entire construction area will be surrounded by a fence.