Communities across the nation are experiencing a change in retail dynamics as large -format retailers abandon their existing buildings for new, larger “supercenters”. Often located in very close proximity to the original facility, the new supercenter developments often leave behind empty and blighted conditions at their former site. This transition often occurs at such a rapid pace, there is often little time for a community to properly plan for the reuse or redevelopment of the site before being vacated, and it may sit as an eyesore for many years afterwards.

The City of Wisconsin Rapids experienced such a trend in the mid 1990’s when the existing Wal-Mart, previously located in the downtown, built a new Supercenter on a highway along the City’s periphery. The Wal-Mart was an anchor for the downtown mall, and sat vacant for a number of years. The loss of traffic as a result of the relocation caused business in the mall and adjacent downtown area to decline.

Concurrently, many organizations within the community were focused on building a new senior center. While numerous sites were considered, the former Wal-Mart building was centrally located and a senior center was a use that could restore traffic to the downtown. While the facility was in good physical condition, the largest obstacle to this vision was gaining community support. The facility was viewed as a blighted, abandoned Wal-Mart, and residents were unable to envision anything other than this empty space with a new layer of paint.

It took continued cooperation and numerous public presentations to eventually get the support of the senior population. A number of renderings were done of the proposed facility, which allowed people to envision a senior center that embodied all of the desired elements. Vierbicher provided the initial feasibility study, lease space market analysis, cost analysis and architectural design that communicated this vision. Also, Vierbicher facilitated the public input sessions that were so critical in gaining support from the senior population and moving this project forward. Public support became so strong that private fundraising efforts were kicked off with a $250,000 matching gift. Vierbicher assisted the City in successfully securing the maximum Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award of $750,000.

Construction of the 67,000 square foot Centralia Center was completed in 2003, and has proven to be a strong economic component in revitalizing the City’s downtown. The community has embraced the new use and the facility’s space is always active with people. The decade-long process to develop the Centralia Center was faced with social, logistical and physical challenges, but Vierbicher worked with the City of Wisconsin Rapids, the Community Foundation, and numerous organizations to creatively and successfully overcome those obstacles. The result is not only a new senior facility, but a revitalized downtown mall and a renewed interest in the greater good of the community.

The Centralia Center is featured in the book, Big Box Reuse, by Julia Christensen. In her book, Christensen takes a look at ten communities across the nation that have turned previously empty large-scale retail buildings into core community uses. The book discusses the many challenges that communities face when big-box retailers leave behind empty buildings to develop new “supercenters”. There are many lessons to be learned from innovative projects that have utilized those empty spaces to the benefit of the entire community. You can purchase this book at Amazon.com.