Shopko Plaza enters talks of potential redevelopment sites
Nov. 17—EAU CLAIRE — A shopping center that's seen better days on Eau Claire's southwest side is now in the running for potential redevelopment sites.
As part of ongoing talks about where to focus its efforts next, members of Eau Claire's Redevelopment Authority added Shopko Plaza strip mall along West Clairemont Avenue to its roster of candidates on Wednesday.
"This is one they thought it was worth keeping on the list," said Aaron White, the city's economic development manager.
The RDA's work in the North Barstow Street area is nearing completion and the Cannery District is well underway, which prompted the group this fall to seek out new sites in need of its attention. In previous meetings, the RDA put other parts of downtown on its list of potential spots, but opted against getting involved in rehabbing a former nursing home in the Shawtown neighborhood.
On Wednesday, White put forth the new candidate for consideration — the shopping area built in 1979 that was anchored by now-defunct retailer Shopko.
Some of the properties around the strip mall are already seeing signs of improvements on their own.
"There is some good movement going on in that area," White said.
Construction of a multi-tenant commercial building finished last year on the edge of the former Shopko parking lot. Chipotle, Hawaii Poke Bowl and Shopko Optical all reside in that new building.
Near the shopping center, the former Campus Inn & Suites Hotel is being transformed into an apartment building called The Howard.
Following Shopko's closure in June 2019, the retail store has been used as a storage warehouse. But a developer is now proposing to turn that site into a multi-family residential development, according to a rezoning application the city is set to consider next month.
The other anchor store for Shopko Plaza — a defunct grocery store that had been Ron's Castle Foods, Gordy's County Market and Hansen's IGA at different times — is currently being used as storage space, White said.
The mostly-vacant strip mall linking the former Shopko and grocery store is what White said is the main concern that brought it up in the redevelopment conversation.
"That structure in the middle has a big impact on what else can happen there," he said.
The single-story strip mall is owned by a Hudson-based entity, River Prairie LLC (no relation to the development in Altoona), which White referred to as an "absentee landlord."
In addition to the building, the same owner controls the sprawling parking lot surrounding it.
Wednesday was not the final conversation the RDA will have about potential redevelopment sites. White anticipates bringing up one to two more contenders before asking RDA members to select a location to focus their efforts. There's also the possibility of creating multiple redevelopment districts, as well.
"There's always the option of creating a couple districts, if the RDA wants to do that," White said.
He's anticipating the RDA will make a decision in the first quarter of 2023.
