Vacant old Sears store in Lincoln Park is being demolished, making way for new Chick-fil-A, car wash and more

LINCOLN PARK (WWJ) -- What once was the largest Sears store in Metro Detroit and the country is being torn down.

The City of Lincoln Park has announced the demolition of the Sears at Southfield and Dix roads — already underway on Wednesday.

The Sears store closed in 2018, sitting vacant since that time.

Now WWJ's Mike Campbell reports AF Jonna Development Group has purchased the property, proposing business condos to replace the abandoned building.

While plans for a CostCo at the site fell through, Lincoln Park Mayor Michael Higgins said new businesses expected to move in include a car wash and a Chick-fil-A restaurant, "which will be the first one in the immediate Downriver area, so we're excited about that." (Editor's note: There is a Chick-fil-Al in Allen Park) .

What the heck's a business condo, you ask?

"Think about it... if you own a condo you live in it, but you pay condo fees and they take care of the property around it," Higgins explained. "Which is better for this city, because then we only have to go over to one owner and say clean your mess up, rather than having to go over to each individual business."

Aside from the Chick-fil-A and the car wash, Higgins said there are plans for "some other, bigger things" on the property — but he's not ready to reveal those just yet.

The location, the mayor said, couldn't be any better.

"It's really going to be huge for all of Downriver, because of where it sits. It's right where the (I-)75 and Southfield freeways and Dix Highway all come together," Higgins told Campbell. "So, this is a major spot for Downriver."

The mayor said this project is part of a brownfield redevelopment plan, designed to promote the revitalization of environmentally distressed and blighted areas within the city.

Sears began closing stores across the U.S. in 2015, and — amid competition from online retailers and changing shopping habits — the retailer's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three years later. In 2o24, there are only 11 full-line Sears stores remaining in the U.S., including one in Puerto Rico.