Blighted: What the declaration means for Manitowoc’s vacant mall site
MANITOWOC – The city has moved a step closer to fixing the eyesore that is the former Lakeshore Edgewater Plaza Mall.
The City Council recently ruled the vacant mall — across from Lake Michigan — a blighted area. Under Wisconsin law, this designation means an area is unsafe, could cause health issues or requires police presence.
According to a city Fire Department inspection report, since the JCPenney store was torn down, the parking lot has been degrading with uncapped drains and access panels exposed. There also are sinkholes forming within the lot, with weeds and grass growing in the badly cracked blacktop.
The report also says vandals have broken windows and that the ceilings are ruined and mold is growing around the building.
More than five years after the announcement that Younkers was moving out of the mall, not much has happened in either razing the building or finding a new use for it.
The plaza’s current owner, Lakeshore Mall LLC, bought the property, 700 E. Magnolia Ave., in 2005. In 2007, that same owner purchased the vacant mall to the south, Mid-Cities, at 828 Memorial Drive. That mall was torn down in 2015.
The Manitowoc Younkers was among the 42 stores Bon-Ton Stores Inc. — including eight in Wisconsin — closed in 2018 as part of a turnaround plan for the company, which lost money for six consecutive years.
Bon-Ton, with dual headquarters in Milwaukee and York, Pennsylvania, is the parent company of Boston Store, Younkers and other department store brands.
The city was granted a raze order in 2020, meaning it could legally tear the building down, but hasn’t acted on it yet.
Mayor Justin Nickels told Streetwise he hopes that declaring the mall a blighted sight might nudge the owner into either selling the site or tearing down the building and redeveloping the site.
“This mall site has been an ongoing issue for the city long before I became mayor,” he said. “We talk with the owner on a regular basis. He always says he’s working on it, or something is happening with it, but then nothing ever does.”
2023 development: Manitowoc Younkers closing likely end of shopping mall, leaders say | Streetwise
The city has requested a purchase price and continues to look into options, he said. Several people have approached the city about acquiring the property.
Nickels said the city would like the building to remain retail, but a mix of housing and commercial space is probably most likely. City officials are willing to work with anyone who might buy or redevelop the site.
The mayor likened the mall’s situation to the city’s action with the former downtown Mirro site. After years of little activity, the owners of Mirro sold the property to the city for a dollar. That gave the city the ability to recruit and work directly with potential buyers.
“We really want to do something with the mall property, but as a long as it is privately owned, our hands are tied,” Nickels said. “We can’t tell a private person what to do with their property.”
Mirro: Where things stand: Mirro site in Manitowoc remains vacant but development happening nearby
City officials are aware of the public concerns, he said.
“When is something going to happen with the mall is the No. 1 thing I get asked about,” Nickels said. “It’s been an issue all the time that I have been mayor. It’s frustrating. It’s horrible for the people who live nearby or the people who drive by it every day. The city is more than willing to work with someone to redevelop that site, but our hands are tied.”
Got a tip, question or comment for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc's vacant mall blighted: Mid-Cities Lakeshore Edgewater Plaza
