Credit Repair

The site of a historic former Sears store in Milwaukee has become a massive site for illegal dumping. The once bustling retail area anchored by a Sears at Fond du Lac and North Avenue is now two large vacant buildings and an approximately 6-acre parking lot, littered with dump truck loads of construction waste and other garbage. Who allows this to happen or anything? This is just terrible over here, said Lawrence Harris on Friday as he looked across the piles in the parking lot, which included shingles, toilets, furniture, and discarded mail.Pre-pandemic plans for redevelopment of the site have seemingly fallen through. Harris, who frequents a clubhouse nearby, says a fence that surrounded the site was removed by the owner a few years ago.Thats when people started dumping, Harris said. Inspectors with the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services this week issued several violations to the property owner. They focus on the illegal dumping, and the condition of a building that was once used for auto repairs. Terrible. It looks really bad, Harris said. The owner, HG Sears LLC, is ordered to remove the waste, including “multiple piles of dirt, concrete and furniture,” and secure the auto care building, which is under consideration for a condemnation order. Harris says the people dump there under the cover of darkness.I’ve never seen anyone dumping. I would say something to them if I did. This is not a dumping ground. You’re making it look bad around here, he said.According to DNS, the owners have ten days to clean it up, or the city will do it and send them the bill. WISN 12 News reached out to HG Sears LLC in person, by phone, and via email, but received no response. As for the status of the renovation of the site, the Milwaukee Department of City Development told 12 News they continue to have productive meetings with the development team while they pursue financing for the project.