Former Sears building to be bought by Trotwood improvement group

The former Trotwood Sears building that has been empty since the store closed in 2014 is in the final phases to be purchased by the Trotwood Community Improvement Corp.

TCIC will pay $70,000 for the nearly 16 acres and building at 5200 Salem Ave., according to bankruptcy court records submitted earlier this week. The building is currently owned by Sears Roebuck + Company, which is included in the Sears Corporation bankruptcy filings.

The building was valued at $400,000 this year, according to Montgomery County property records.

“We’re pleased that we have been able to acquire this asset. We look at this asset as an opportunity to rekindle development of the former Salem Mall,” said Fred Burkhardt, executive director of TCIC.

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The Salem Mall opened in 1966 but suffered a decline in the 1990s when JCPenney and Lazarus, two of its anchors, closed. The property has been vacant since the mall was demolished in 2006, according to previous reporting from the Dayton Daily News.

Sears remained as a freestanding store until it closed in 2014.

The company filed for bankruptcy in October, and announced it was closing all Dayton-area locations. Because Sears filed for bankruptcy, all assets owned by the company must go through the courts.

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Other creditors can object to the sale through July 31 at 4 p.m., but that isn’t expected, Burkhardt said.

Once the objection deadline passes, the Trotwood Community Improvement Corporation can close on the sale.

“This building is 127,000 square feet of good construction. We feel that it’s going to be an attractive addition to Trotwood and will trigger further interest in the development of the former Salem Mall,” Burkhardt said.

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