MANSFIELD — Skilken Gold has asked for a six-month extension on the city’s order that it demolish a portion of the Kingsgate Shopping Center at 1290 Park Ave. West, claiming it has a retailer interested in renovating the property.
In an email on Sept. 30, Skilken Gold asked that the demolition, which has been ordered to be done by Dec. 4, be delayed until May 4, 2023. The building was once home to the former Kingsgate Cinema.
“We are in negotiations with a retailer that intends to renovate (1290 and 1300 Park Avenue buildings),” wrote Eric Elizondo, Skilken Gold’s senior vice president for operations.
Elizondo asked the matter come before the city’s planning commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The building has sat vacant for two decades.
Marc Milliron, the city’s building and codes manager, reiterated during a planning commission meeting in May that the building at the west end of the Kingsgate Shopping Center needs to come down.
“We did complete a thorough inspection of it. We did find that the structure does need to be demolished. It’s condition is definitely beyond its saving point, depending on how much funding they would want to put in there,” Milliron told commission members five months ago.
He said 1300 Park Ave. West, once part of the former JC Penny’s store, doesn’t need to be demolished. He said it needs a new roof, but structurally is “still pretty decent.”
At that time, the commission granted Skilken Gold’s request to extend a 30-day demolition order for six months.
The two buildings combine for 50,739 square feet of space, according to Elizondo, including 34,500 at 1290 and 16,239 at 1300.
In his email, Elizondo cited the following planned improvements, though no dollar figures were included for the project:
1290 Unit – Renovation
— First Floor – Retail Space – walls, doors, lighting, egress lighting, restrooms, flooring, electrical
— Second Floor – Office Space – walls, doors, lighting, egress lighting, restrooms, finishes, flooring, electrical
— Elevator will need to be renovated or replaced
— Roof replacement – insulation, TPO roofing and some decking
— HVAC and distribution system replacement
— Exterior Façade Improvements – exact design will be submitted during permitting
— Exterior Building Mounted Signage
— Fire Sprinkler System and Fire Alarm System
— Pylon Signage
1300 Unit – Renovation
— First Floor – Service and Storage – walls, doors, lighting, egress lighting, restrooms, flooring, electrical. Level the existing floor.
— Space will be remediated and cleaned to address environmental contamination
— Roof replacement – insulation, TPO roofing and all decking
–HVAC and distribution system replacement
— Exterior Façade Improvements
— Exterior Signage, Brand signage (multiple auto oriented brands)
— Fire Sprinkler System and Fire Alarm System
The wheels on the demolition order began rolling with a Richland County Land Bank meeting in April.
That’s when Skilken representatives expressed interest in the Land Bank applying for state demolition grant funds to help fund the work.
Skilken Gold presented a $490,000 proposal that would include demolishing both store fronts and converting the west side wall of the VOA store to an exterior wall.
The company expressed interest in applying for demolition grant funds through the Land Bank. Land bank board members, however, made it clear that proposal would be a “non-starter” unless it included Skilken Gold forfeiting the property to the Land Bank.
Unit 1290 was last used as a portion of a JC Penney store, and has not had a long-term tenant for more than 30 years.
The 34,5000 square-foot building has no HVAC, water or main electrical systems in place. The roof is failing and requires constant maintenance. All restrooms and water devices have been removed. Tests revealed asbestos tile and some mold in moderate qualities.
Unit 1300 is a former movie theater that has not been occupied for more than two decades. The building has excessive asbestos and mold and needs extensive environmental abatement. The roof is in poor condition and not safe to inspect due to water damage. The building lacks electrical systems and functioning restrooms.
That request to the Land Bank by Skilken led to an inspection by the city, resulting in the initial demolition order.
In May, Ken Gold, chief growth officer for Skilken Gold, told Richland Source his company was looking for new tenants.
“Everybody has to be looking. We have a team that looks at all of our shopping centers around the country. We are always thinking and planning about the best ways to keep these shopping centers relevant in the world that exists today,” he said in May.
“Our plan is to find a tenant quickly, renovate the former cinema and put them in it. If we can’t, we will demolish the building and have the land ready for a new tenant. We want to do what is the best the cities and communities in which we operate,” Gold said.
Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero, a member of the Land Bank board, sent an email to Skilken Gold on Tuesday saying he planned to attend the planning commission meeting to oppose the demolition extension request.
“I actively participated in the discussion with Skilken|Gold representatives in early May when they presented a proposal that was quite unfavorable to the Land Bank, and the county as a whole,” Vero wrote to Elizondo.
“As you can imagine, a property sitting vacant for over two decades (deteriorating to the point of demolition) in our county’s largest city on arguably its most major thoroughfare is of particular import to the community,” Vero wrote.
He asked if Skilken Gold would be willing to:
— produce any documents with the necessary redactions showing that said retailer exists along with their intentions for the property; and/or
— voluntarily place the monies needed for demolition and abatement in escrow.
“I would be more than willing to sign any (non-disclosure agreement) as legally permissible by the Ohio Revised Code to accommodate request No. 1. Please advise on such requests, and I look forward to seeing you at planning commission on Tuesday,” Vero wrote.
