Sears Panel Tries Again to Attract Developers

A special panel studying the future of the old Sears store site in Hillcrest asked its consultants Monday to draw up new guidelines for private developers that balance residential and commercial use of the property.

The consultants had presented two mixed-use options for the site last week, but the review committee Monday was unable to agree to recommend either proposal to the city Planning Commission. Several committee members said they feared that private developers would be turned off because they would find both options too confining.

The first option called for a 100,000-square-foot retail center, a 10,000-square-foot office area above the center, and 272 housing units.

The second option called for an 80,000-square-foot retail center, with 10,000 square feet of office space above it and 306 housing units. Both options include a community center.

While some committee members think that too much commercial space will hurt existing businesses in the area, others are worried that the city will be unable to attract suitable bids on the site unless it is commercially attractive to a developer.

Investment at Stake

Concerned that the city may not be able to recoup all of its $9-million investment in the property, the committee ordered the consultants to draw up more flexible guidelines in order to encourage favorable bids from developers.

The consultants were asked to write guidelines that encompass about 80,000 square feet of retail space for a supermarket and drugstore, up to 80,000 square feet of second-story office space, a 9,500-square-foot community center to be provided by the developer, and a minimum of six acres for residential development, with the ratio of housing units-per-acre to be set by the developer.

Committee members and city planners said they were optimistic that the guidelines could be approved by the group’s next meeting on Oct. 5 and that bids by developers would be ready for review by Oct. 26.

However, some members, including Chairwoman Yvonne Larsen, were dissatisfied that the panel was sending the issue back to the consultants, concerned that the committee was not moving fast enough to get the matter before the City Council.

The city purchased the site on Cleveland Avenue near University Avenue last year as a possible location for a new library. That idea was rejected by the City Council in December. Last spring the committee began studying ways of using the property for a mixture of stores and homes.

“I voted no because this is not expeditious enough and can get bogged down,” Larsen said. “The City Council is under the gun to get this matter resolved. If we make it too difficult for the council, they’re going to say forget it, let’s just sell the whole thing and be done with it.”