No sale for Batavia strip mall

Preferred Development Inc. of Chicago is no longer interested in buying the nearly vacant strip mall on the northwest corner of Island Avenue and Wilson Street in downtown Batavia where a recreation center was proposed to be built.

Evan Oliff, president of PDI, confirmed that Monday.

“I'm glad 57 percent are happy with what they have in Batavia,” he said, referring to the percentage of Batavia Park District voters Nov. 2 who rejected a plan to supply the financing for the rec center. “I feel sorry for the 42 percent who wanted something better for their families.”

“I wish Batavia well. ... I'm carrying on. We've got plenty of projects (elsewhere).”

And so far, nobody else has approached the city with any other plan for the corner, according to city administrator Bill McGrath.

During the campaign for the rec center, Oliff had said the firm might still buy the shopping center, rehabilitate it and run it, even if the recreation center did not come to pass.

PDI had proposed knocking down the building, swapping some land with a McDonald's immediately to the west, and building a rec center, parking garage and stores. The park district would have chipped in up to $20 million for the rec center and part of the garage, and the city would have given $6 million for the rest of the garage.

McDonald's has not applied for permits to build a new restaurant on its current site. City officials have said repeatedly that McDonald's wants to rebuild its 32-year-old facility, to bring it to current McDonald's USA standards. That would likely include putting in a double-lane drive-through.