A reader e-mailed me with this question: I grew up in Geneva and have been here for 28 years. (I currently live on the East Side.) I always pass the vacant corner at State and East Side Drive and wonder if there's been any interest from anyone to buy the property and build on it (if it's still for sale), if there are reasons why its not being developed (economic/environmental). I know at one point there were fuel tanks buried from the old gas station, but they've since been removed. I always wonder what would be "cool" to have go in there. Here are responses from Geneva's two 3rd-Ward aldemen…

The former Borders bookstore at 1660 S. Randall Road was a wonderful place to go to find a good story. Now, the story of the bookstore's former home needs a happy ending. The 24,000-square-foot building has been vacant since the Borders group was liquidated in the summer of 2011. The property, which includes about 3 acres of prime Randall Road real estate, is for sale for an unknown asking price, according to LoopNet. Having that building in play would be a great boost for city sales tax revenue and the health of the local economy. The big question is, what should go in there? Is there a …

Part of the discussion about downtown Geneva includes ideas for what kinds of business to promote and encourage. Real progress, of course, is predicated by the market. You can make all the wish lists in the world, but in the end, there has to be a buyer—and in this economy, that's a tough prospect. That said, there is nothing wrong with making a wish list. And there is something positive—even healthy—in gathering creative ideas from the community. In that spirit, what do you think would be the right uses for the former US Bank building at 21 N. Third St." The asking price for the property has…

Editor's note: I'm writing this before I go on vacation. The Geneva City Council Committee of the Whole was expected to discuss the possible demotion of the Pure Oil Building, 502 W. State St., at a meeting scheduled for Monday, March 26. The discussion or decisions made at that meeting could render this article moot. But unless there is a clear mandate to move forward with the proposed bank drive-through, the question of how the property should be developed will be more pertinent than ever.   There is no pure solution to the problem of how to develop the former Pure Oil Building property at …

Joe Stanton had a vision for filling the vacancy of the downtown Geneva post office, at 26 S. Third St. Back in 2010, the Geneva businessman and this year's Wood Award winner had an interesting proposal to do an adaptive re-use of the building that would have allowed the post office to remain at its present site. Stanton's plan was to keep the post office entrance on Third Street and create a new building entrance to the left of the current main entrance as you face the building, a change that would have provided room for two additional tenants in a lower basement area. It didn't happen, but …

The former State Bank of Geneva buidling at the southwest corner of West State Street and Third Street has had a number of uses in its time. Of course, the stately building was a bank. But it was also the very popular 302 West restaurant and more recently was Tuscana Italian restaurant. The 7,500-square-foot building is asking $8,500 a month for a lease arrangement, and the primary use suggested is for a restaurant, although other retail would be considered, too, according to LoopNet. Previously, the building was for sale with an asking price of about $1.9 million back in June 2011. The …

The sign on the front of the now-vacant Mill Race Inn says, "Great Food Since 1933." But should the former Mill Race Inn become another restaurant, or are there other potential uses for the scenic property along the Fox River? Whomever is the next owner will have some challenges. The age of the building and its nearness to the river mean it likely will require some level of improvements. Add that cost to the $2.2 million asking price for the restaurant, Gazebo outdoor-dining/nightclub, parking lot and one-acre of prime riverfront property, and you are looking at a significant investment. The …

The No. 1 story in our 2011 year-end countdown was the vacancies in downtown Geneva. Among the most prominent of those is the Merra-Lee shops at Third and State street. There already has been some talk of future tenants and a wish list or two. The city of Geneva's Economic Development Commission has proposed several ways to draw new business to downtown, including the use of a city sales tax to generate revenue for a revised and revitalized downtown business district. We all know that the Merra-Lee storefronts are beautiful locations with a lot of options—for one big store or many. So Patch …