Northgate Sears demolition may be part of Colerain redevelopment plan for Northgate Mall

Colerain Township is moving closer to tearing down a former Northgate Mall department store for new development.

On Tuesday, Colerain trustees approved a $28,000 revitalization grant award from Hamilton County to help plan the future demolition of the old Sears store. The Ohio Department of Development also awarded the county a grant last week to take on the demolition.

The empty department store at 9505 Colerain Ave. is attached to the rest of the mall. The plan is to remove the building completely to pave the way for the mall to potentially become a mixed-use development, according to development director David Miller. That has the potential to change the whole property with housing, green space, entertainment and retail options all in one spot.

The township purchased the vacant department store last year for $2.2 million. It is now partnering with The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, a Cincinnati economic development agency, to handle the demolition, which included temporarily transferring property ownership to the land banking entity while the project is underway.

What's to become of the site of the vacant store?

It will be razed and rezoned for purposes that promote mixed-use development, but it's not clear exactly what that will be yet. Miller said it is possible to include housing units on the southern end of the 12.5-acre parcel.

He cited other mixed-use lifestyle centers, like Liberty Center in Liberty Township and Factory 52 in Norwood, as examples of mall models that work. The township also commissioned a study in 2019 conceptualizing the future of the Colerain Avenue corridor, which suggested that type of model for the struggling indoor mall.

Partnering with and transferring the property to The Port allowed the township to have a seat at the table as plans develop, Miller said. It also allows the land bank to take the reins on the schematics on a project of this scale, trustee Dan Unger said.

"We're not set up to take on giant economic development projects," said Unger, who was the lone "no" vote when trustees approved the sale in September 2023.

An agreement between Colerain and The Port says the land will be transferred back to the township within 30 days upon the trustees' request.

A timeline for the demolition was not available.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northgate Sears demolition may be part of Colerain redevelopment plan for Northgate Mall