The City of Forest Park has passed an annexation ordinance allowing for the redevelopment of the long-vacant Kmart property to proceed.

The ordinance, which passed 5-0, allows the city to annex a portion of an adjacent shopping center which is in Springfield Township.

By law, the city may annex property that it owns if it abuts Forest Park's borders.

The city purchased the Hamilton Avenue Kmart shell and its surrounding eight acres in November 2006 for $806,000. Recently, they purchased an adjacent four-acre shopping center to the south for $725,000.

However, redevelopment of the combined sites has been problematic.

Developer interest in the area has been low for years, as evidenced by the closing of the nearby Thriftway store, the Blockbuster Video and numerous restaurants. Several stores are vacant or are home to marginal businesses.

And there are jurisdictional issues. The Kmart property is entirely within the corporate limits of the city, as is most of the shopping center. A small part of the shopping center is in Springfield Township.

The justification for the annexation is that Forest Park wants to market the combined site to developers and would prefer for the development to be done under one set of rules and regulations instead of two.

City officials see this site as an opportunity for a gateway project that will help spur other redevelopment of the Hamilton Avenue corridor.

Ideas have even been floated about combining the Kmart property with the Thriftway property (across Waycross Road) for an even more massive project. Funding for the infrastructure and site improvements would come from the creation of a TIF district.

Currently, there is no timetable for a decision. The city is currently working on a comprehensive plan for the site.

In the April 18, 2007 Hilltop Press, City Manager Ray Hodges mentioned that we might see the demolition of the Kmart building in September.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW (looking east)