AUSTINTOWN — The JCPenney located in the Austintown Plaza will not renew its lease, which is set to expire at the end of September.

Last September, Austintown Plaza Ltd. sold the building to Washco Austintown LLC, a Maryland company, for $3.4 million. According to Mahoning County auditor property records, the building, which also houses Buffalo Wild Wings, is about 82,625 square feet and sits on 5.22 acres.

Austintown Township Trustee Monica Deavers said she is sad to see the store go, and said she hears from residents that they do want big stores like this. She said she wants to see as many businesses thrive in Austintown as possible.

“With Penneys going bankrupt, I was happy we got another year,” Deavers said.

Deavers and Trustee Robert Santos both said they are open to working with the building owner to get something to fill the department store’s place. Santos also said he wishes the department store didn’t have to go, but acknowledged that retail has changed over the years.

“I am confident that they do have a plan for it,” Santos said about Washco. “I don’t think a company would make a $3.4 million investment in something that they didn’t have a plan for.”

Santos said Washco will have to submit its plans for a new sign for whatever will go in the space next and at that point the township will for sure know what is coming next.