GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) — A popular sandwich chain is moving to the other side of Green Bay — and it’s not by accident.

“I have been in Green Bay my whole life, and started going to the theaters at East Town Mall, to sort of becoming a ghost town where nobody went, and to see it developed is really exciting,” said Naveah Vang, manager of the Green Tea Drive-Thru Chinese restaurant.

That location has been there for the last seven years. Vang, like others who work there, has seen the area build-up — and fast.

“It’s very exciting. You get to see the new businesses coming closer,” Vang added.

One of those new businesses is Cousins Subs.

“When we looked for redevelopment and that property became available, and when multiple national players started looking at that site as well, we knew that was the right place to be,” said Cousins Subs President Jason Westhoff.

The popular sandwich chain purposely chose the east side and the greater mall area.

“Our lease was going to be up at the current facility and we knew we were opening another store and we knew we were not going to want to extend our lease at the westside location so it just made sense for us to close that store,” explained Westhoff.

The store said it plans to invest millions in the Green Bay and Appleton areas over the next few years.

Another construction project currently underway is the Shoreline Credit Union. It’s the first location outside of Manitowoc County and is expected to open in summer 2022.

“We usually have to travel out more for the mall or whatever, but I’m excited that this mall is actually becoming a mall,” added Vang.

Another way shopping and dining are returning to the area that was once thriving.

The new Cousins Subs is expected to open on May 16. The company said it is always looking to hire. Check out its website for job openings.