Sometimes the appearance of progress has a funny, unrecognizable look on its face.

At least that may be the case for the space once filled by the old Sears department store building at the Greeley Mall, which, according to Greeley Director of Economic Health and Housing Benjamin Snow, is progressing toward being occupied despite plans to completely demolish the building.

The 86,000-square-foot building, which carries an address of2800 Greeley Mall, has been empty since Sears’ national chain of departmentstores closed its Greeley location in January 2018.

An investment group out of Chicago, Transform Holdco, owns the building. Transform bought around 240 Sears and K-Marts locations throughout the country this past spring. Transform bought this former Greeley Sears location for $3,705,000 on Feb. 7.

From the perspective of the many shoppers that frequent the resurging mall, there’s potential for good news and bad news.

There isn’t yet a tenant set to fill the old Sears space, and there isn’t one currently in the works, either. But Snow is hopeful once the 48-year-old building is torn down, it could open a variety of options for a potential retailer or retailers, as the space will no longer be limited by the obvious restraints and obstacles the aged building presents.

The demolition in the coming months could also create a bit of an eye sore, including the large gap that is left once the demolition is complete.

Construction continues on the old Sears building at Greeley Mall on Friday, August 30, 2019. (Valerie Mosley/For the Greeley Tribune)

But complete deconstruction could, eventually, lead to complete reconstruction, Snow said.

“Typically, something is demolished before you can then rebuild something new in that location,” Snow said. “So, while there is no specific user in mind for that space where the Sears was, just seeing all the activity out there will help people imagine a little bit more.”

Also, even as the old Sears building is demolished, thereare certain aesthetics that could actually make the space more attractive inthe wake of the demolition.

Notably, Snow said, by not having such a large, empty building in such a visible spot – with traffic from U.S. 34 overlooking – consumers and investors alike are more likely to see potential future opportunity rather than past lost opportunity.

“You have the backside of Sears, the loading docks, facingthe freeway,” Snow said. “Eliminating that could actually be a positive for themall.”

A demolition this extensive usually takes about two or three months, Snow said. Once that demolition is complete, the door will be open for potential investors – and the mall’s ownership, Moonbeam Capital Investments – to begin envisioning how this parcel of commercial space could be filled.

“There will be a 2.5-acre dirt parcel left behind after the demolition,” Snow said. “It will almost be like a fresh canvas.”