Miami Shores looks to annex Kmart site

Kmart in Lakeland
Kmart in Lakeland

The Miami-Dade village of Miami Shores is seeking approval from Kmart and Chase Bank to begin annexing an area and therefore reduce costs.

The so-called “Kmart corner” goes from 105th and 108th streets between Biscayne Boulevard and 12th Avenue. Tom Benton, village manager, said annexing the land would provide Miami Shores with zoning oversight. If the struggling retail chain were to shutter, Miami Shore would gain more authority in determining the store’s replacement.

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The village also must hold public hearings and notify residents on neighboring land.

“We don’t know what the long-term plan is for the Kmart area over there but we continue to hear rumblings about that branch closing, sometimes we hear it is going to stay … but [annexation] would give us control over that parcel there which would be a direct entrance way into our community,” Benton told the Miami Herald. [Miami Herald]Mark Maurer