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Waiting for a buyer Friday Jul 28, 2006 at 2:00 AM Dec 18, 2010 at 11:06 PM Greg Stiles Former Foodland site's future is up in the air Greg Stiles Mail Tribune For half a century, the corner of Stewart Avenue and Kings Highway has been a grocery store destination for Medford residents. A 12,000-square-foot Piggly Wiggly opened in January of 1956, touting its "acres of parking space." That store was supplanted by the present 29,000-square-foot Foodland building in 1994. But after going along for years with half-empty shelves, the store closed late last year, raising questions about the location's future. United Grocers holds a 20-year lease that runs until 2012. A mid-sized grocery store would not only face stiff competition from existing WinCo, Fred Meyer, Sherm's Thunderbird and Albertsons stores a couple of minutes' drive away, but also the prospect of a Wal-Mart Supercenter even closer at the old Miles Field location. However, that old Piggly Wiggly parking pitch may well determine the site's future use. "I walk by it all time asking myself 'What's going to work here?' " said Colleen Padilla, business development manager at Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. "It's got a lot of parking." Finding the right tenant to match a building with 170 parking spaces but relatively low ceilings presents an obstacle for some potential tenants. "That building would be of interest to someone putting in a call center, and we have talked to people about it," Padilla said. "When U.S. Cellular was looking for another site, it considered that building." Ultimately, the wireless phone company left town after swapping assets with another telecommunications company. "Sometimes it's difficult to envision the possibilities," said Curt Johnson, a leasing agent for Oregon Opportunities Real Estate. "What we see and imagine is what's there. It's hard to see something different & 8212; another retailer or another kind of use." One distinct advantage, said Medford's economic development chief Bill Hoke, is that there are few buildings of that size available in town. "It's a location that lends itself to some opportunities that maybe a building that size sitting elsewhere wouldn't," Hoke said. "It's got great parking, so it lends itself to something that can handle a number of employees. But it doesn't have real high ceilings." He notes that some potential tenants eye cubic feet as well as square feet. "I see it as a redevelopment opportunity if nothing else," Hoke said. While the rate of 70 cents per square foot is reasonable, it's still a hefty commitment. "Someone requiring 29- to 30,000 square feet is going to have to be pretty well financed to make that monthly stroke," Johnson said. The building could be divided into smaller units, he said. "As long as the part left over had some appeal to the market and was compatible with the landlord." Johnson said church and gymnastics groups as well as a national retailer have looked at the site. "I can't say we've really been in a position to entertain a doable deal," Johnson said. "There's been enough intrigue to run some numbers, but as far as a bona fide offer, we haven't got one yet." So is the dozen-year-old building through as a grocery store? "I never say anything is done," Hoke said. "You just never know. There may still be a need for that to be a grocery store, but it would take the right circumstances. It's on a very busy street that's easily accessible." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or at .