Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register
Discount grocer Ruler Foods plans to build at the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Esquire Theatre in Springfield. A representative for the property owner confirmed Thursday that Ruler Foods, a discount brand of the Kroger supermarket chain, has a contract to purchase the property and has begun site testing.
It would be the second Ruler Foods in Springfield. The first opened in 2014 in a strip center on Sangamon Avenue. “This has been in the works for about a year,” said Phil Spengler of Wanless-Spengler real estate.
Spengler represents Eric Hoogland, the Family Video Inc. executive who purchased the Esquire property in April from AMC Theatres Inc. Hoogland purchased the property through a separate development company.
The Ruler Foods contract is for the north half of the property, split by Conkling Avenue, said Spengler, who added that construction will depend on finalizing the sale and the demolition schedule. Asbestos removal at the site has been completed, which should clear the way for demolition in the next few weeks, Spengler said.
The prospect of Ruler Foods at the southeast corner of MacArthur Boulevard and South Grand Avenue was discussed Thursday at a regular monthly meeting of the MacArthur Boulevard Association. The not-for-profit organization has led efforts for retail and residential renewal along the boulevard.
Previous proposals, including a used-car lot and a strip retail center, raised concerns, including neighborhood opposition, about appropriate uses for the site at one of the city’s busiest intersections.
“It would be about one-fifth the size of Hy-Vee,” Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin told the meeting’s participants. The Hy-Vee supermarket chain opened in 2014 on the site of the former Kmart building at 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd.
McMenamin said the Esquire site is appropriately zoned for retail and commercial construction, adding that he was seeking a meeting with Hoogland and Ruler Foods representatives to discuss specifics.
Association members also questioned what type of design and landscaping would be required.
City planner Paul O’Shea said the city could set certain requirements if economic development incentives are sought for the project. The Esquire site is in the MacArthur Boulevard tax increment financing district, but McMenamin said Ruler Foods has not inquired about TIF assistance. TIF funds were used to aid the Hy-Vee development.
The building has been vacant since the theater closed in 2003.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 