Daily Herald opinion: West Dundee makes bold move to spur redevelopment of Spring Hill Mall

This editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

There were signs of hope for Spring Hill Mall after a massive renovation in 2016.

But the shopping center - split between West Dundee and Carpentersville - has continued to struggle as it deals with the same challenges facing other mid-size regional malls.

The Carson Pirie Scott at Spring Hill Mall closed its doors in 2018. Two other anchors - Sears and Macy's - departed in 2020.

Now Kohl's is the only anchor store remaining. And many of the small storefronts inside the mall are vacant.

To their credit, West Dundee officials have refused to take a wait-and-see approach with Spring Hill Mall. Instead, they are actively working to encourage redevelopment of the property - by buying the former Macy's and tearing it down.

Most of the mall sits within the boundaries of West Dundee. The part of the mall in Carpentersville includes Kohl's and former Carson's.

Earlier this year, West Dundee created a new tax increment financing district for its share of the mall and property around it. Carpentersville took similar action last year.

In a TIF district, property tax revenue collected above a certain point go into a fund that helps pay for improvements, such as roads and other infrastructure.

West Dundee officials hope the special taxing district will entice a developer to bring a mix of residential, entertainment and retail to the site. The roughly $72.7 million budget for the TIF sets aside $45 million for demolition and infrastructure costs at the mall and $3.5 million for property acquisition costs.

Then last week, West Dundee made a bold move by unanimously approving the purchase of the former Macy's.

West Dundee will pay $1.25 million for the 123,000-square-foot building and the 8.6 acres it sits on. The village expects to close on the property in June.

In a statement, Village President Chris Nelson said one of the hindrances to the mall's redevelopment is the multiple property owners and various covenants on the property.

"Almost uniformly, each developer with whom we spoke stated that the site has too many complications ­- too many owners, too many covenants, too many uncertainties," he said.

Nelson says the village's goal is to make the process easier so reliable developers will be interested in partnering to reformat the area.

"Without municipal intervention, that simply won't happen," he said.

Nelson is right.

There has been a slow demise of several once-vibrant malls in the suburbs. Some have been largely vacant for years.

Doing nothing and waiting for a private developer to breathe new life into the property is not the answer. We applaud West Dundee for taking the initiative and trying to make something happen.

We hope Carpentersville officials and the mall's remaining property owners will work with West Dundee on its efforts.