Del City pitching in for redevelopment

By Jeff Harrison
Managing Editor

A developer will get a little help from Del City to fix up a retail center.

Del City will provide up to $30,000 in sales tax rebates to redevelop the retail center on the northeast corner of SE 44th Street and Bryant Avenue.
The incentive will be used to make improvements to the property to attract a national discount retailer. Under the agreement, the developer will receive half of the 2 percent sales tax collected by the retailer to upgrade sidewalks and curbs on the property.

City Manager Mark Edwards said the city agreed to deal to revitalize the shopping center and the intersection. Edwards said the shopping center building is structurally sound but said it needs some work on the interior. The developer, Charles Shadid LLC, plans to spend about $400,000 to redevelop the property.
Edwards said the city could provide additional support for the project down the road.

“It (further public investment) is predicated on how the shopping center develops and who they bring in,” Edwards said. “We’re interested in working with them but we don’t want to put tax money in for something that won’t generate sales tax.”

The retail center has largely been vacant for years, according to Edwards. An IGA grocery store used to anchor the shopping center. Now there are a few businesses in the building including a barber shop, daycare and beauty salon.

“That used to be a very popular shopping center back in the day,” Edwards said. “There was a clothing store there too and it was packed.”