Business & Tech

Kimco Looks to Acquire Vacant Wilde Lake KFC

The company is looking at possibly acquiring the KFC building, which was abandoned in late April and its future is uncertain.

 

Kimco Realty is interested in acquiring the currently abandoned KFC building in Wilde Lake and on Wednesday received approval for its  development plan for the Wilde Lake Village Center.

Geoff Glazer, Kimco’s vice president of development and acquisition for the Mid-Atlantic region, confirmed on Friday that Kimco is interested in purchasing the old KFC building at 5400 Lynx Lane. The building .

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“We’re looking at acquiring it,” Glazer said on Friday. “We’re trying to get control, but there’s a process.”

In April, Patch readers said they’d be interested in a fast-food restaurant, such as Sonic, for the space.

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Tell us: What do you think Kimco should do with the old KFC, if it acquires it?

Glazer said Kimco didn’t have any set plans to incorporate the KFC building into its redevelopment plans for Wilde Lake Village Center, which were unanimously approved by the Zoning Board on Wednesday, according to ExploreHoward.com.

The preliminary plan for the redevelopment of Wilde Lake will include a minimum of 85,000 square feet of commercial space, a maximum of 250 residential units and changes to the central courtyard, according to Explore Howard. Also, will move to a larger location and a drugstore will be added, according to the article.

Glazer said Kimco plans on beginning construction in Wilde Lake in the spring of 2013, if all the permits are approved.

“We’ll revitalize the village center so it’s ready for the next couple of decades,” said Glazer about the plans.

Local development blogger and Columbia resident Matt Wilson described the buildings as "three or four boring, plain buildings mashed together into one," but hailed the redesign of the courtyard, which some residents complained about during the redevelopment approval process.

“I can understand Kimco’s desire to do something different,” wrote Wilson. “The times I’ve been in that courtyard, all in the afternoon and mostly on weekends, the courtyard has been deserted. Any space like that that’s empty on a Saturday afternoon in pleasant weather is a failed space, no matter who designed it or how noble the thinking behind it was, or how popular it was when it first opened.” 

See our past coverage on Wilde Lake redevelopment issues:


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