Mt. Prospect considers demolishing troubled plaza

Mount Prospect leaders have had to become amateur detectives as they try to overhaul Central Plaza, a beleaguered downtown shopping center.

The center, located at Central Road and Main Street, is nearly vacant and showing signs of decay. But the village hasn't been able to do much about that because officials can't figure out who actually owns the property.

"I've never seen anything like it," Community Development Director Bill Cooney said. "We've done our due diligence, but we haven't been able to identify an owner, and no one has come forward. It's frustrating."

The shopping center has changed hands multiple times in recent years, generally from one bank to another, Cooney said. The bank that is paying taxes on the property claims it is not the rightful owner, he added.

"We've had cases where the bank that owned it went under. Now the ownership is all tangled up," Cooney said.

In an effort to lure the owner out, the village has gone to court to secure a demolition order. If no owner can be found, the village could demolish the center and then place a lien on the property to recoup costs. Ultimately, the village could foreclose on the property, Cooney said.

"We're still a few months away from that kind of action," he said. "We have to take a look at the property's history to see if there are any environmental issues to deal with."

Central Plaza has for years been considered an eyesore by village officials and residents alike. It sits at a highly traveled intersection in the downtown area, near the Mount Prospect Public Library.

Enza Bonadonna owns the plaza's sole tenant, Maine Street Salon. She says Central Plaza was a different place when she opened there 21 years ago.

"Every store was filled," she said. "There was a liquor store, a drugstore, the Chinese restaurant, others. I'm not sure why it went downhill the way it did. I wish I knew."

Bonadonna said she would move her business if the plaza were demolished and redeveloped. Cooney said the village would try to help her find a new site in town.

"Even with everything, this has been a good location for me," she said. "My customers keep coming here."

Village officials have said in the past that revitalizing Central Plaza would most likely require redesigning the entire site. Its current design makes access difficult because some entrances are located very close to the Central/Main intersection.

A recent report on the downtown area suggested a one- or two-store retail building could work well at the location.