State acquires former Sears space in White Oaks Mall

After sitting vacant for more than two years, a new anchor tenant is moving into the former Sears space at White Oaks Mall — the state of Illinois.

The state acquired the nearly 14-acre property, which includes the sprawling 130,530-square-foot former department store space, for $3.5 million in August, according to Sangamon County tax records.

The plan is to utilize the space as the new headquarters of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which will soon need to vacate its current space at 1021 North Grand Ave. E. due to the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, “which will build a rail line that runs through the middle of the existing building,” said Marjani Williams, a spokeswoman with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

More than 700 state employees will be impacted by the project. Other state agencies housed in the existing IEPA building, such as the Illinois Pollution Control Board and Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, will also have a presence at the new White Oaks space.

Read more: https://www.sj-r.com/news/20201202/state-acquires-former-sears-space-in-white-oaks-mall
(Springfield State Journal Register)