STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) – A Portage County judge will hear arguments today about the future of the CenterPoint mall in Stevens Point.
Former mall owner Third Court, which is owned by Iowa-based Valley Bank, sued the city to stop it from condemning the mall. Third Court claims that the city and community development authority caused the mall’s blight, and, because of that, cannot condemn the property using eminent domain.
The city condemned the mall in October as part of a plan to turn the property into the new downtown campus for Mid-State Technical College.
Judge Thomas Flugaur could decide whether to strike down the condemnation or whether to block the city from any development until the lawsuit is settled.
Third Court also claims that redeveloping the mall into a college campus would violate an existing agreement that requires the mall to be run as a first class retail shopping center.
In legal briefs, the city argued that the former owners have publicly supported its plans to redevelop the mall and buy it out. The city offered $910,000 as the final condemnation price but Third Court rejected the offer.
