The Village of Carpentersville has agreed to buy the last available property at the now-shuttered Spring Hill Mall -- the recently-closed Kohl's store.
Village Attorney Bradford S. Stewart announced the agreement to purchase the Kohl's for $2 million in a memo to village trustees Tuesday.
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WATCH HERE"While the Village has generally abided by the policy of not becoming an investor in commercial property, the Kohl’s location is integral to the Village’s ongoing interest in the area, consistent with its comprehensive plan, as well as recent concepts that have been contemplated, for potential public or private development, which would also include potential expansion of utilities to the immediate and surrounding area," the memo stated.
The memo also said Kohl's preferred to sell the building to the village after Carpentersville's "unwavering support" for Kohl's to continue operating the store, and that another party had attempted to outbid the village's purchase price.
In an email to NBC Chicago, the village of West Dundee confirmed it had submitted an offer to purchase the property for more than Carpentersville's $2 million offer. According to the village, Kohl's did not respond to their offer.
Kohl's, at 3000 Spring Hill Ring Rd., was the last operating anchor at the former mall, which sits in both Carpentersville and West Dundee. The store had closed in April as part of the company's plan to shutter dozens of stores across the U.S., while the once-popular mall closed its doors permanently in 2024.
West Dundee bought the mall property for $7 million after spending $3.25 million to buy the former Sears and Macy's storefronts. At the time of the mall closure, village leaders in West Dundee said there were plans for a mixed-use development of retail entertainment and residential units, and that developers had already begun reaching out.
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"We’re going to try to reformat the area," Mayor Chris Nelson said. "There’s a term everyone is using these days, mixed-use; we’re certainly aiming for that.”
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Eighty-five percent of the mall is in West Dundee, while the remaining 15% -- including Kohl's, and the former Carson Pirie Scott store -- crosses into Carpentersville.
Stewart in his memo said the acquisition of the Kohl's property "provides significant opportunities for our Village to identify meaningful development in the Spring Hill area, consistent with our comprehensive plan and future planning and development opportunities, and expansion of our public infrastructure. It may also present an opportunity to collaborate with West Dundee for potential development that might involve parcels in both
municipalities."
NBC Chicago has reached out to both West Dundee and Carpentersville for comment.
