MILWAUKEE — City of Milwaukee officials opened bidding to demolish Northridge Mall's Boston Store, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
This comes just two days before attorneys plan to ask a judge to allow the city to take ownership of the bulk of Northridge Mall. The city has had ownership of the Boston Store property since 2017. The remainder of the vacant Northridge Mall belongs to U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group. The group is fighting the city's 2019 demolition order.
According to the BizJournal, the most recent step in the lawsuit is the city's request to take ownership of the mall from U.S. Black Spruce. The city hopes to demolish the vacant mall quickly. The city's request, which is being contested by U.S. Black Spruce, will be considered during a hearing on Friday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
BizJournalreports that contractors have until April 13 to submit bids for the contract to demolish the Boston Store. That bidder would then have 90 days to demolish it.
The Boston Store is connected to the remainder of Northridge. The contractor would have to build plywood and sheet metal panels to block the opening in the mall's exterior wall, according to BizJournal.
The city would use U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund funding to pay for the demolition of the Boston Store. The city has previously estimated it will cost nearly $15 million to tear down Northridge Mall. There has been no word on the source of funding for that.
According to BizJournal, Judge William Sosnay ordered both the city and U.S. Black Spruce to draft plans to demolish the vacant mall.
Milwaukee aims to take ownership of Northridge Mall and move to demolish
By Bruce Harrison, Jan. 24, 2023
MILWAUKEE — The city of Milwaukee is now attempting to take ownership of Northridge Mall in an effort to demolish it faster, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
On Tuesday, city attorneys filed a motion with Milwaukee County Judge William Sosnay, asking him to transfer ownership from Black Spruce Enterprise Group, which bought the mall in 2008.
"This is about an attempt to speed this up, to have them [the city] have ownership, and then to knock it down. Because that's what everybody wants, in terms of the city," said the Business Journal's Mark Kass. "This is all about kind of finally moving this thing ahead."
According to the Journal, if the city owns Northridge, it can begin raising the money to tear it down. Demolition is estimated at $15 million.
For years, the city has grown more concerned about the building's accelerating state of disrepair. There have been multiple fires there, angering the fire department as it continues to send units into the vacant mall.
According to the Journal, Black Spruce isn't showing up in court or maintaining the security of the property despite a court order. And it faces mounting fines for not complying with the order.
Considering the company's lack of cooperation, Kass said he believes Judge Sosnay may be closer to transferring the city the building.
The parties are scheduled to return to court on March 17 to argue over the transfer.
Judge Sosnay said the directors of Black Spruce, who live in Canada and China, will be sanctioned if they don't show, according to the Journal.
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