By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
ROCKFORD — A Milwaukee-based real estate development company with experience in reusing historic buildings may purchase the sprawling complex that once housed Barber-Colman’s manufacturing operations.
J. Jeffers & Co. envisions a mixed-use campus on the 26-acre site, which would be redeveloped over roughly seven to 10 years in multiple phases, according to the city. The city’s Finance and Personnel Committee approved an agreement Monday for J. Jeffers to purchase the complex for $500,000.
“While there are a number of steps to be completed prior to the project advancing, I am excited about the potential redevelopment of Barber-Colman,” Mayor Tom McNamara said in a news release. “This is a much needed project for the city and specifically for the residents of southwest Rockford.”
The sale requires City Council approval, and, as part of the purchase agreement, there is a 180-day period where the company will review environmental issues, the feasibility of redeveloping the property and a potential redevelopment agreement.
“The sprawling downtown Rockford manufacturing site offers many of the attributes J. Jeffers & Co. looks for when evaluating potential developments. It possesses a significant number of historic buildings in need of re-imaging, restoration and adaptive reuse,” J. Jeffers said in a news release. “It also includes parcels of land that can provide architecturally complementary new construction, adding to the project’s viability.”
J. Jeffers, which was founded by Josh Jeffers in 2012, has redeveloped historic sites in Wisconsin, such as the $18 million Gold Medal Lofts in Racine and the Hacienda Beer Co. in Milwaukee. It’s also working to redevelop the 16-acre former Horlick Malted Milk Co. in Racine.
“J. Jeffers and its leadership team also seek sites that build upon a community’s history and have substantial scale to become truly catalytic when completed for the neighborhood, community and municipality,” the company said in the news release.
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Barber-Colman’s manufacturing operations occupied the complex at 1300 Rock Street from the early 1900s until 1984, when the business was sold to Reed-Chatwood Inc., according to Rockford Register Star archives. It once employed more than 3,300 people during its heyday in the 1980s, but for decades it has been a ghost town with busted out windows and overgrown weeds.
The city bought the complex for $275,000 in 2002.
Two years ago, the site was in Rock Valley College’s plans as the home for its advanced technology center. But trustees backed out of the plan, saying costs for redevelopment escalated beyond their initial commitment.
The college’s technology center, which is expected to open in January, will now be located in the former Shopko at Big Thunder Mall in Belvidere.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the purchase price of the property. It was bought by the city for $275,000 in 2002.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.