Let’s get the mall rolling.

DeKalb County has owned a tract of land known as the county farm for ages. It lies between DeKalb and Sycamore along Route 23, adjacent to Northland Plaza.

Over the years, several developers have suggested that this tract of land is a perfect area on which to construct a large-sized shopping mall anchored by at least two national chain stores (JC Penney and Carson Pirie Scott are the names being tossed around right now).

The DeKalb County Board is finally ready to accept offers from any developers wishing to buy the property, and it is hoping that a mall can be built there.

However, the board says it cannot legally specify what any developer it sells the land to should do with the property. This is the part where the board needs to be tough.

DeKalb County would benefit enormously from a large-sized shopping mall containing big-name stores.

A mall would bring a bounty of job opportunities to the county for high school kids, college kids, or whomever needed the opportunity. Also, a mall would create a stronger tax base for the county, giving the county’s consumers an atmosphere of competitive pricing.

The board should make it a point to sell the land to someone who promises to build a mall on it.