Town Center West to be leveled

BELLA VISTA — Although it has not been listed, Cooper Communities has been looking for a buyer for Town Center West for a few years, said Neff Basore, senior vice president.

“Over the past four or five years, we’re tried to find someone to purchase it,” he said. “We’ve never been shy about working with someone who wants to put something there. We’re willing to explore options.”

Rather than listing the site, Basore and other Cooper representatives have used their own contacts to target the businesses they believe would be right for the area.

In 2018, the filling station was demolished and its tanks removed to make the site more attractive, he said. Now the company is getting ready to remove the remaining buildings for the same reason.

The only tenant left in the string of offices, the Village

Barbershop, will be out of the building by the end of the month, Basore said. The other offices have been empty and the county SWAT team has been using them for training exercises.

The Weekly Vista office, which had an office in the building, moved in 2018.

Once the buildings are gone and the foundations are graded, the site may be more attractive, he said. Cooper Communities worked with Carroll Electric to make sure electric lines didn’t cross above the property, he said.

The strip of land backs up to a steep ravine and it’s not at the same level as the highway.

In fact, Basore said, some convenience store chains won’t even consider a location that isn’t at the same level as the highway. A store on the site wouldn’t be visible from the highway in time for a motorist to stop. While the convenience store chains say the location is on their list, there are always better locations elsewhere, Basore said.

There have also been talks with hotel chains, but nothing materialized.

“People think (the issue) is price but we never got that far,” he said. The company has never quoted a price for the land and would be willing to negotiate.

Although there is no timeline for the demolition, Basore said the contracts for the work will be signed this month.