Joliet's Empty Kmart Site: What Should Go Here?

JOLIET, IL - West Jefferson Street and Larkin Avenue is one of the busiest intersections in all of Will County. Kmart was here for decades. Then, a few years ago, the company closed several stores including the one in Joliet and another Kmart in New Lenox off Interstate 80.

Nowadays, the Joliet Kmart parking lot is the home to hundreds of pigeons that congregate here every day. It's a great location for them because some people stop and leave them bird feed. Your Patch editor saw lots of bird feed sprinkled in the parking lot on Tuesday afternoon. But are pigeons Joliet's long-term answer for redeveloping the Kmart property? Absolutely not.

July 2018 Patch Article: 2 Area Kmarts Remain Vacant

One of the reasons why the Joliet Kmart wasn't redeveloped in 2017 and 2018 was because the property was still tied up in a commercial lease with Kmart. But that lease is over now, so the company marketing the property should be more motivated to sell or lease it now.

Here's what Steve Jones, Joliet's economic development director, has to say about the future redevelopment prospects for the empty Kmart lot.

"The site's strength is that it is located at the busiest intersection within Joliet. The site's weakness is that it contains an aged big-box in an already heavily-retailed corridor," Jones informed Joliet Patch.

"My opinion is that a mixed-use development consisting of smaller retail space in the front and perhaps multi-family or senior housing in the rear would be marketable," Jones added.

What's your take?

What do you think is realistic? What do you think would be a success?

Post your comments on Facebook or on the Joliet Patch's new Quickpost feature.

For more property details, here's the site for the Joliet Kmart property leasing information.

What Should Go Here? West Jefferson Street Building