Endicott May Consider Turning Abandoned Kmart Site Into a Park

The sprawling property that was home to a now-defunct Endicott shopping center might have a future as a recreation site.

The eastern portion of the former Endicott Plaza complex was demolished in November 2002.

A Kmart store continued to operate on the west side of the property until it sustained heavy damage during the September 2011 flood.

Endicott Mayor Nick Burlingame told WNBF News the village may look into the possibility of taking ownership of the abandoned site.

Green Mountain Electric Supply of Vermont acquired the 17-acre site in February 2023 for $1 million. The company scrapped its plans to set up a distribution hub in the old Kmart building after learning the structure's existing floor could not support the operation.

Burlingame said the concept of turning the site into park land will be presented to the village board for discussion. He said it's an idea he'd like to pursue.

Endicott was awarded state funding in 2018 to help cover the cost of tearing down the former store to prepare a "shovel-ready" site for redevelopment. But village officials didn't move forward with the demolition.

Burlingame said we've been "waiting for a miracle to happen... and nothing's happened."

The mayor said village representatives have had informal discussions with Green Mountain Electric Supply, which has been trying to find a buyer for the site.

Environmental issues will need to be reviewed before any new use can be considered for the property. The site was once used as a dump for municipal and industrial waste.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar has supported tearing down the old store. A year ago, he told WNBF News the property had been "a run-down eyesore for years and years and years."

Garnar said he wanted the building demolished because "people shouldn't have to look at that - that crap!"

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.