Two West Salem residents are under contract to purchase the former Nordstrom building, nearly a year after the upscale Seattle retailer closed its only Salem location.

The potential buyers, Kelly McDonald and Patrick Carney, are still in the due diligence process to buy the approximately 60,000 square-foot space at 420 Center St. NE, which has remained empty since Nordstrom closed last April.

McDonald told the Statesman Journal that seeing the space remain vacant for almost a year is a "travesty" for Salem. He said he and Carney want to see if they can transform it into something good for the downtown area.

McDonald said one of the factors that attracted them to the space is its position inside both the urban renewal zone and opportunity zone. Those designations could allow investors to tap taxpayer incentives and capital gains tax breaks.

What the space will become remains a mystery. "We're not ruling anything out at this point," McDonald said.

"We're hoping to make it unique," he said, but added the potential for one client is slim, as it's a big building. He suggested there could be a mix of different uses.

"We are excited about the property," he said.

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McDonald declined to disclose a price. Marion County property records indicate the property's real market value is more than $9.2 million.

He said there's a lot of positive energy in downtown Salem now. "I think this is a property that can keep that momentum going."

McDonald is the managing partner behind the Granary District in McMinnville, a development that includes a collection of wineries, shops and dining options. It's a "very unique kind of development," he said.

Nordstrom announced in January 2018 it would close its Salem store. At the time, President Jamie Nordstrom said, "We don’t think investing in Salem Center is the best approach for us moving forward."

The store, which originally opened in March 1980 and was profitable, closed last April. Nordstrom signs were removed from the building, though the company still owns the building, according to property records.

Alex Rhoten, owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Mountain West Real Estate, said a local user "in this retail environment is probably better than a national user."

"I never thought I'd say that, but the world is changing," Rhoten said.

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Salem Center isn't the only mall poised for big changes. The Willamette Town Center in east Salem recently saw Sears close while also preparing to welcome a DSW, Inc., on April 11 and Petco this summer.

Contact reporter Jonathan Bach by email at jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow him on Twitter @jonathanmbach.