The Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Conestoga Marketplace project at 10 a.m. Friday, April 14.
The ceremony will be on the east side of the current mall building, in the parking lot of the former J.C. Penney store. The event is open to the public.
Community leaders as well as representatives of developer Woodsonia Realty and contractor Chief Construction and Development will provide comments at the groundbreaking. Following comments, the first swing of demolition will take place.
“This is a significant project for our community and one that will have positive implications for decades," Chamber President Cindy Johnson said in a news release. "Because of public and private partnerships, Grand Island can look forward to a $220 million complete overhaul of the
Conestoga Mall. The Conestoga Marketplace is a one-of-a-kind, mixed-use development that will bring new energy and excitement to Grand Island.”
Conestoga Marketplace will include a variety of retail, office, and residential spaces, as well as a public plaza with a water feature. Target will be an anchor store for the development.
According to Mayor Roger Steele, “The Conestoga Marketplace project will enhance and renew Grand Island's status as a regional hub for shopping, dining, and state-of-the-art entertainment.
"This $200-plus million project will include a new Target store, modernized storefronts, restaurants, and other amenities that will showcase Grand Island’s reputation for growth and business development," Steele says in the news release. "The redevelopment partnership between the city, Woodsonia, the Community Redevelopment Authority and Grow Grand Island confirms our experience in working together to drive new growth and breathe new life into Grand Island’s premier retail asset.”
Roger Bullington, president and general manager of Chief Construction and Development, said, "We want to thank Woodsonia for investing in our community. In the next three years, we will witness this historic property get restored, and Chief Construction is proud to be part of this generational community revitalization project. Once completed, this will establish Grand Island as the retail hub in outstate Nebraska.”
Johnson added, “We will, once again, have an energized retail presence we can all be proud of and that will attract people to our community for their shopping, professional services, educational needs and entertainment choices.”
