Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register
The former Esquire Theatre in Springfield is facing a fix-or-demolish deadline this fall under a city ordinance that took effect in 2011. More than a decade after the last movie rolled, the vacant former theater building on MacArthur Boulevard near South Grand Avenue would be among early tests of an ordinance that took effect in October 2011 intended to crack down on abandoned properties. The ordinance required that buildings be brought up to code or demolished after three years on a city boarded-up property list.
The Esquire went on the list Nov. 29, 2011, according to city records. “I think the tipping point will be in the fall,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose ward includes the Esquire.
AMC Theatres Inc. acquired the Esquire in the 2010 buyout of local Kerasotes theaters. AMC is a subsidiary of Beijing-based Wanda Group. City building and zoning manager John Sadowski said AMC has paid $1,000 every three months to keep the former Esquire on the boarded property register.
The 2011 ordinance also allows for a fine of $750 per day if the repair or demolition is not completed within 60 days of the three-year deadline. But McMenamin said he was encouraged by discussions Friday with an AMC real estate representative. “It was a real positive step,” he said. “It was a good discussion of all the issues with the property.”
McMenamin said the discussion included ways to improve the look of the site while AMC tries to sell the former theater. He said the Esquire property is listed for $1.2 million but that he understands the price is “highly negotiable.” If AMC chooses to update the building, McMenamin said, the company would be given time to complete the work after the three-year limit expires.
TIF aid?
The Esquire was included in 2012 when the city created the MacArthur Boulevard tax increment financing district, partly to aid construction of the Hy-Vee supermarket and convenience store on the site of the old Kmart building. The TIF covered both sides of the boulevard between South Grand and Wabash avenues. TIF districts rely on increased property tax revenue from new development to encourage additional retail and commercial projects in the district.
Mayor Mike Houston said after a Hy-Vee ribbon-cutting ceremony last week that a TIF deal offered to Hy-Vee also could work for the Esquire. The city council approved $3.5 million toward the $20.8 million cost of redeveloping the Kmart site. As there was no property tax revenue in the new TIF, the city agreed to reimburse Hy-Vee from the added revenue the supermarket generates.
There has been developer interest in the Esquire since 2003. A local development group in 2005 proposed the Cherry Grove Shoppes, a combination of 10 to 15 upscale shops, including a grocery store, cafe and pedestrian promenade. A Chicago developer considered a similar plan in 2008. Access to MacArthur Boulevard, technically a state highway, was a problem for both.
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 