DANVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - Village Mall in Danville is going up for auction May 13.
The mall is located at 2917 N. Vermilion Street.
In a statement, the City of Danville said, "If you look around, you might notice the hundreds of blighted structures we have removed in the last several years and how seriously we are taking this effort. Annually, The City of Danville invests more than $1,000,000 towards reducing blight."
That funding comes from sources including the Community Development Block Grant, the Community Reinvestment Fund, and the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
The City also pulls from its General Fund when necessary.
"A variety of factors have impacted the need for us to allocate a large portion of our city budget to managing these problem properties in Danville. A reduction in our population is just one of the major contributors. However, we also have an ongoing problem with mismanaged residential and commercial properties and a lack of maintenance and preservation efforts from their owners. The aftermath of this poor stewardship leaves us with devastating setbacks for our community and a halt in development in those neighborhoods," the City continued.
The City said examples include Bresee Tower, the Sears building, and the Adams building, all located in the downtown district. "When entities without the proper resources purchase these large structures at a small cost without the means of developing them or even maintaining them, the deteriorating structures eventually pose many threats to the health and economic viability of the area. They present safety concerns such as falling debris, increased crime, and mold growth. Bordering structures are impacted as property values decrease and new businesses are not incentivized to locate in an area with abandoned structures, causing a cascade of negative economic consequences," the City said.
The City of Danville said millions of dollars are spent to pursue legal action to obtain the structures for demolition or restoration.
Regarding the upcoming Village Mall auction, the City said the 35+ acres that comprise the Village Mall, are being divided into three parcels set to go to online auction on May 13.
Two of the three parcels are being sold as an absolute auction with opening bids of just one dollar, meaning they will be sold to the highest bidder no matter how low the price.
"This means that anyone with a dollar or more could gain ownership of a very large, highly important structure in our city. Time and time again, we have seen what happens when these cornerstone buildings in our community end up in the wrong hands," the City said.
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said, “This structure is very important to our community, and it is imperative that it ends up in the right hands. We will be taking this very seriously because Danville has made too much forward progress to allow a cornerstone in our community to deteriorate.”
The City of Danville said it will proactively be enforcing building code and maintenance standards on the Village Mall. The purchaser will be held liable for the condition of the structure and parking lots that are acquired.
"We know the incredible, positive impact that could occur for Danville with this structure in the hands of the right developer and we are doing everything possible on our end to ensure the best possible outcome for our citizens," the City of Danville concluded.
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