Published: September 04, 2008 01:30 pm         

Wal-Mart still trying to buy land

Officials had hoped to have deals locked up by end of July

Those involved in the effort to develop a new Wal-Mart Supercenter are still working to buy the land needed for the project.

“As of right now, there still has been no land bought,” said Skip Kuker, president of the Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation.

Kuker said the projected date for closing the land deals for the 160,000-square-foot store had changed at least twice. Wal-Mart officials reportedly wanted to close by the end of July and then by the end August, but both dates have passed with no word of a deal.

The proposed property, referred to as the Riverside Business Center, is south of High Street between Mall and Yorktown roads. It is zoned for business, with residential areas on two sides.

The two biggest landowners are Security Federal and East We Go, with lots totaling about 30 acres.

Surrounding properties needed for an access road are owned by Beacon Credit Union, National City Bank, River of Life Christian Church and Bob Barr, Kuker said. For the project to proceed, Wal-Mart will have to come to terms with all of them.

Logansport officials and others close to the project are not saying much concerning the holdup in negotiations.

Mayor Mike Fincher said he was not in the loop on what was going on with the project.

Steve Maines, a real estate broker out of Muncie and site acquisition agent for Wal-Mart, declined to comment on the status of the project. A phone call to Jason Wetzel, a Wal-Mart senior manager for public affairs, went unreturned.

Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com