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What's next for nearly-vacant Wheeling shopping mall?

Demolition of the part of a shopping mall that used to house Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market has begun, and the village wants to replace it with a business that keeps tax revenues up.

But it's unclear what the shopping center's owner, Adi Mor, plans to do with the 3.5-acre site near the intersection of Hintz Road and Old Buffalo Grove Road after he completes demolition of the store.

Wheeling Director of Economic Development John Melaniphy says without any serious prospective tenants, Mor decided to demolish part of the shopping center so he wouldn't have to continue footing the cost to keep the building up.

Since Garden Fresh Market moved into a shuttered Buffalo Grove Dominicks in 2014, most of the shopping mall has remained vacant. A liquor store and cleaners remain open.

The shopping center has faced "chronic vacancy," Melaniphy says. "And the possibility of reviving it as a shopping center appears to be very challenging."

Melaniphy says after Garden Fresh moved to its Buffalo Grove location just under two miles away, Mor didn't want another grocery store to take its place for fear of competition.

The shopping mall's location doesn't get as much traffic as busier intersections in Wheeling, Melaniphy says. And without a big anchor store like Target, the shopping mall isn't expected to thrive.

"We'd like to consider other land uses to enhance the property tax base and eliminate commercial blight," Melaniphy said.

The village is suggesting using the land for residential space, senior housing, medical offices or banquet facilities. Adding another hardware, apparel or sporting goods store would just be adding to the retail stores Wheeling already has, Melaniphy says.

The village has met with Mor and indicated its willingness to work with him in developing a new plan for the land, Melaniphy says. Mor could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Until the lease is up for the remaining businesses in the shopping mall, only part of the building can be demolished.

  The building that housed Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market is being demolished. Only a couple of stores remain in the shopping center at the corner of Hintz and Old Buffalo Grove roads. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Other empty storefronts are in the shopping center where the building that once housed Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market is being demolished. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  The building that housed Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market is being demolished. Only a couple of stores remain in the shopping center at the corner of Hintz and Old Buffalo Grove roads. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Liquor Island is one of the few remaining businesses in the plaza where the building that housed Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market is being demolished. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  The building that housed Wheeling's Garden Fresh Market is being demolished. Only a couple of stores remain in the shopping center at the corner of Hintz and Old Buffalo Grove roads. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
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