Menards probably not building long-awaited Urbana store anytime soon

Deb Pressey, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·2 min read
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Jun. 15—URBANA — If you like shopping at Menards, it doesn't look like the Eau Claire, Wis.-based retailer plans on building that long-awaited store in east Urbana in the near future.

It's been more than 15 years since Menard Inc. bought 357 acres on both sides of Illinois 130 in east Urbana.

Initially, the company rolled out plans for a new 162,000-square-foot Menards store on the east side of Illinois 130 south of the Walmart store, plus 11 outlots for other stores and residential development.

Here's where those plans stand now for the privately owned, family-run company:

"As you know, we purchased the Urbana property pre-COVID with thoughts of developing a store and other things," spokesman Jeff Abbott said. "And then COVID set us back, and now the present economic and political situation in Washington is making us less enthusiastic about spending money on new developments."

Menard Inc. has nearly 60 Menards locations in Illinois, including stores in Champaign and Danville. A future store in Urbana hasn't been ruled out.

"We still hope to build a store on the property some day, when things are more settled," Abbott said.

Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin said the city's economic development staff has been in touch with Menard Inc. periodically over the years, but hasn't gotten an answer about when the Urbana store might be built.

That those earlier plans haven't materialized is "very disappointing," she said.

"People were hopeful and excited about the project," Marlin said. "It would have been really a complement to what Walmart started on 130."

While Urbana doesn't have a new Menards coming any time soon, the mayor did say the city has other retail irons in the fire, among them the new H Mart at 220 N. Broadway Ave. that's under development.

The city also plans to issue requests for proposals soon to redevelop city-owned land south of Lincoln Square and the former Urbana school district headquarters at 131 and 205 N. Race St., U.

The city plans to buy the school district's old building for $113,000.

City officials want to see more housing opportunities, with the goal for the former school district property being housing or mixed-use development, Marlin said.