PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - The old Kmart in Plainfield Township may see new light again.
On Monday, township board members unanimously approved a proposal to transform the Kmart building at N. Kent Mall NE between Plainfield and Juniper avenues into a "mixed-use facility."
The proposal calls for changing most of the space into an indoor self-storage area and leaving the remaining storefront as retail space. According to Trustee Ben Greene, no particular tenant has confirmed just yet.
There would also be upgrades to the inside and outside of the building -- creating an open ended plan for future commercial developments on the site of the former mall's parking lot.
The North Kent Mall Kmart closed back in 2016, along with the 68th Street store in Byron Township. They were among nearly 1,500 total Kmarts to shut down nationwide.
"We have heard from many communities around the state and country that finding replacement tenants for large retail spaces the size of Kmart has been very difficult, so this mixed use presents a viable solution for the immediate future," Greene said in a post on Facebook.
"There is so much more work to be done in revitalizing our commercial corridor on Plainfield Avenue, but I’m grateful that this will no longer be a dead space -- and that the property owner will go to extra lengths to improve the appearance of the building."
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