Good things come to those who wait. We’re hopeful the old saying rings true for Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles.
We had to go back 3-1/2 years ago to find our initial story on Niles Mayor George Alpogianis’ announcement at his 2022 “State of the Village” address that the longtime mall at Golf Road and Milwaukee Avenue would be redeveloped into a new mixed-use “town center” with apartments and retail.
Great, we thought. That kind of forward thinking and eagerness to work with mall owners, Florida-based Sterling Organization, to form an agreement for the retail center’s re-do seemed like a no-brainer for Niles where retail sales have always been strong thanks to major corridors like Milwaukee Avenue, Golf Road, Dempster Street, Touhy Avenue…the list goes on.
September was to bring a somewhat eagerly-awaited start of demolition at Golf Mill, but various factors like financing led to delays. It’s not unexpected — when nearly $443 million is projected to be invested in the redevelopment — Niles and Sterling will undoubtedly want to get things right before shovels hit the ground.
We believe a solid plan is in place for Golf Mill’s proposed transformation from a mostly indoor mall to an outdoor “Golf Mill Town Center”. The village says it will help with tax increment financing (TIF) funds as progress is made on a rebuild.
While not much is happening inside, the several major retailers currently on the mall’s exterior appear to be doing well. A little extra patience may be required, however, before noticeable signs of change on the mall property take place.
Still, it’s happened before at Golf Mill and we look forward to it happening again. A healthy Golf Mill only bodes well for Niles for local taxing districts.
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