Old Kmart building turned into new opportunities
We are thrilled as a company to invest in the southern Rockford, and all the opportunity this part of the city has to offer. In addition to self-storage units, we anticipate the development of multiple outlot buildings with virtually unlimited possibilities, from medical to food and beverage.
(WTVO, Hannah Zettl, Feb 11, 2020)-After nearly two years of sitting empty, the old Kmart on Sandy Hollow and 11th Street will have a new tenant.
Residents and neighboring businesses have been holding their breath for six years to see what would replace the 2,000 square foot building.
Walmart bought the property, but decided not to move in. So, the retailer sold to a new developer ready to use the space.
Rockford developer Sunil Puri recently purchased the property with the plan to create a storage facility. The renovation will be similar to the project in Loves Park at Forest Hills and Riverside.
Puri hopes the project will help bring more businesses to Rockford.
“Our future is the airport which is right around the corner, and when people come off that interchange off of 20 to go toward the airport and they see this large an area which is sort of abandoned, not lit, it’s hard to expect bigger companies like Amazon and others to continue to make investments here,” Puri explained.
He continued: “We hope this becomes the hub for what will provide the services for the close to 8,000 employees that work in the businesses at the airport and around the airport.”
Nearby business owners are optimistic.
“Definitely looking forward to seeing hopefully some development, hopefully just see what happens,” Musa Sbeih, the co-owner of Tobacco One Plus, said.
This isn’t the first time for Puri revitalizing a large space. The company also redeveloped the Loves Park Kmart building.