GALESBURG, Ill. — Almost 23 acres of land are up for sale. Galesburg is looking for somebody with a vision to take ahold of the 275,000 square foot property.
The previous owner broke the property up into five subdivisions in 2019. Four of those have been purchased and redeveloped, leaving behind one open space.
"This is kind of the last piece that's out there that could be redeveloped," Steve Gugliotta, Galesburg's Director of Community Development said.
The city is helping facilitate the deal and wants the next owner to have a plan for rebuilding the area.
"The process of reusing what's left of Sandburg Mall is going to be really tough, and we need to find an owner that's going to have the vision and the capital and the patience and experience in order to make that happen," Ken Springer, President of Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development said.
Sandburg Mall opened its doors on Oct. 1, 1975 and enjoyed 43-years of business before closing in 2018. City officials have noticed a similar trend with malls across the county, believing this situation to be unavoidable.
"There's a lot of shopping malls around the country that are suffering the same fate as Sandburg Mall," Springer said.
The land falls within Galesburg's Comprehensive Plan Development District, which leaves many options for the property.
"It could allow retail. It could allow some light industrial [work]. It could allow residential [housing], or a mix thereof," Gugliotta said.
Galesburg is offering a handful of incentives to sweeten the deal for the next owner. The city says it will waive constructions permits on redevelopment, issue a limited property tax abatement, and provide a sales tax exception for developers to avoid paying tax on physical materials.
In Gugliotta's mind, "[the property] should be an attractive spot. There's good traffic in the area."
The online post says bidding is scheduled to close Wednesday. However, that's if the highest bidder meets the current owner's number.
You can track the auction here.