Tim Landis
The State Journal-Register
A major renovation at one of Springfield’s oldest shopping centers – including expansion of the soon-to-close Kmart on Wabash Avenue – includes new tenants, two new retail buildings and an overall new look. Work expected to take several months at Sherwood Plaza shopping center should begin soon after the start of the new year.
Project plans were given preliminary approval with little discussion on Thursday by a zoning committee of the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission. Burlington Coat Factory and Outback Steakhouse already have been signed as tenants for the renovated and expanded Kmart space, according to the center owner. Additional tenants have not yet been announced, though another “restaurant” was outlined in plans for one of the two new retail spaces.
Sunday is the final day of business for the Wabash Avenue Kmart, according to going-out-of business promotions and store employees. Kmart has anchored Sherwood Plaza since 1975.
Final project approval is up to the Springfield City Council.
“This is a major investment in Springfield,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose ward includes Sherwood Plaza. “It’s going to give a significant economic boost to the Springfield economy and significant new retail choices to local shoppers. This adds to Springfield’s role as a regional shopping destination.”
McMenamin said there are no city incentives in the project, adding that information provided to the city put the project cost at about $13 million.
Plans provided to the zoning committee include:
* Renovation of 40,620 square feet of the main Kmart building.
* Addition of 26,015 square feet to the west side of the building and 26,015 square feet on the east.
* 6,500-square-foot standalone restaurant space at the northwest corner of the Kmart parking lot and 2,500-square-foot retail building at the northeast corner.
* Updating of remaining Sherwood Plaza retail center anchored by Staples.
* Parking lot improvements and additional landscaping.
Norm Sims, executive director of the Regional Planning Commission, said after Thursday’s meeting that local planners have been working with plaza owner Seritage Growth Properties of New York for several months. He added that it is not often such large projects move so quickly after loss of a major retail anchor, though he noted the plaza is at one of the city’s busiest retail intersections of Veterans Parkway and Wabash Avenue.
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 