Mall walkers pass by but, otherwise, the interior setting for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles' center at Crossroads Mall in Roanoke is a lonely, gloomy patch of vacant storefronts.

Sometime next summer, the DMV could occupy new quarters at Valleypointe business park off Peters Creek Road in Roanoke County.

Jean Patton, a DMV spokeswoman, emphasized that related negotiations continue with a developer and that the 15,203-square-foot building envisioned ought to be described for the time being as "a proposed new facility."

The DMV's lease at Crossroads expires Aug. 31. If construction proceeds according to a tentative timetable, the building could be done by summer 2009, Patton said. Until then, the DMV will lease month to month at Crossroads, she said.

At Valleypointe, the state will lease the building from the developer.

There are two key reasons for the move, Patton said.

"We have had constant maintenance issues with the landlords, both inside the building and in the parking lot," she said. "And we no longer have a safe road-test route there."

In 2004, Alabama-based Southeast Real Estate Investment Corp. bought Crossroads Mall for $18 million. Its Retail Management Group operates the mall.

Chris White an executive for the companies, took issue Tuesday with DMV's complaints about inattentive landlords.

"I would argue that we've bent over backwards to accommodate them," White said, citing the flexible lease arrangement and delaying conversion of the DMV space to offices for lease.

"We are sort of on standby until they move," he said. "The reality is that they can't expect us to pour money into a space that will be demolished and renovated for a different use."

Meanwhile, Patton said the Valleypointe location will provide a safer testing route and easier access to Peters Creek Road and Interstates 581 and 81.

Crossroads Mall is located in a congested area, she said, with multiple traffic lights and heavy traffic along Hershberger and Williamson roads -- conditions that can challenge new drivers.

The current DMV occupies nearly 16,370 square feet at Crossroads Mall. It has 19 teller windows, 10 driver's license testing stations and 33 employees. Patton said the employees would move to the new location.

The new facility would include 20 teller windows and 13 testing stations. The building will offer parking spots for 100 customers and 45 employees.

In 1993, the DMV closed branches on Peters Creek Road and at Tanglewood Mall and consolidated at Crossroads.

In recent years, the DMV has encouraged Virginia residents to use the department's Web site to tackle many tasks that previously required a visit to a branch.

A new law that went into effect Tuesday adds $5 to the cost of registering your vehicle if you do so in person at the DMV. If you register your vehicle online, the state deducts $1 from the cost.