A former Kmart store in San Bernardino County is set to become a police station.
The Redlands City Council approved a deal to buy the property at 1625 West Redlands Boulevard for $16.1 million in cash, with plans to develop a new police facility, according to City News Service.
Kmart closed the store in 2019, part of a wave of shutterings after a bankruptcy for the chain and its sister Sears stores. The 115,710-square-foot property in Redlands has been vacant since.
A limited liability company named 1625 W Redlands sold the building.
A new station could be built in phases on the 8.6-acre parcel, giving the Redlands Police Department an opportunity to build more in the future.
“The excess space has many different uses that could be very valuable to the city,”Redlands Mayor Paul Barich told City News Service.
The mayor added that the city of Ontario used extra space at one of its buildings for record storage, while the city of Chino built a community center after similar property purchases.
In October, the Redlands Planning Commission had approved plans to redevelop the property into a car parts showroom, office and warehouse, but the plans were eventually scrapped.
[Redlands Daily Facts] — Isabella Farr