Kemper Development Company has submitted plans to the city for remodeling its Bellevue Square anchor building to be vacated by J.C. Penney next month, making room for a number of smaller boutique shops.

J.C. Penney has been at Bellevue Square for 55 years, but announced earlier this year its plans to close the store on Nov. 1 to maximize the company’s long-term growth and profitability.

Rather than seeking another large retailer, Kemper Development plans to reconfigure the roughly 190,000-square-foot anchor building to provide small retail space for an unspecified number of new businesses.

According to plans published in the city’s Weekly Permits Bulletin, 12,152 square feet will be reserved for a common mall area with 144,416 square feet of smaller retail shops to occupy the three floors of the J.C. Penney building. Additional ground-level parking will be made available on the west side of the building, adding 64 stalls.

KDC spokeswoman Jennifer Leavitt said the company is not yet commenting on how many new retail spaces will be created with the remodel nor is it confirming which retailers may be filling them.