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​The Kmart off Broadway closed its doors just a few weeks ago, put up a fence and posted no trespassing signs. But it’s already been hit with an array of graffiti and trash is scattered about.

So will this location become Eureka’s next eyesore and breeding ground for crime? Or is there something better planned?

The city says it’s already taking action and has issued code violations, which could result in fines. However, things get tricky because the maintenance is not technically the responsibility of the property owner, McNellis Partners. Instead it remains the obligation of the tenant, which is Kmart’s owner — the Sears Holdings Corporation — until the lease is up July 2018.

“We take it very seriously. We don’t want to see buildings like this. It’s a violation of the municipal code and it just looks bad. So we’re very interested in seeing this resolved as fast as possible,” said Eureka’s director of development services, Rob Holmlund.

John McNellis of McNellis Partners -a Palo Alto based commercial real estate developer- said the company is urging Kmart to implement the recommendations, but that “this is a community problem, not just our property. So we need some help from the city.”

Meanwhile the police department says they can’t sit around and patrol the place.

In this LoCO Video Report we hear from Eureka’s police chief, get some additional answers from McNellis and learn more about the future possibilities of this location — which is in a zone that recently opened up to cannabis operations.

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