Grand Island breaks ground on the Conestoga Marketplace

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - With the crash of falling bricks, the construction of the Conestoga Marketplace began Friday morning.

City and county officials joined in with Woodsonia Real Estate as they broke ground on the project. Drew Snyder and Mitch Hohlen from Woodsonia were on hand for the big day.

Hohlen is a Hastings native, and he said he remembers the glory days of the mall.

“If you look back 20 years ago, Conestoga Mall was a vibrant mall,” Hohlen said. “It had all the anchors operating, it was a great retail trade hub. Where Grand Island’s position in Nebraska give it the opportunity to pull in from neighboring communities. The redevelopment is really going to revitalize what was here 20 years ago.”

The local themes don’t end with Hohlen, Woodsonia sought out the services of Chief Construction to aid with the project.

“So many times when you have these big projects people rely on national contractors, or anything like that, they can’t really add anymore value than what we did, and the way we were able to work locally with the city administration, Chad Nabity, Mayor Steele all of that, all of them have to be commended for their vision in trying to make this happen,” Roger Bullington, president of Chief Construction said.

Woodsonia president, Drew Snyder, said the current format of Grand Island’s mall is not in line with nationwide trends.

“I think the days of enclosed malls are non-existent, their becoming extinct, you’re seeing that all across the United States,” Snyder said. “Conestoga Mall no different.”

Snyder said his company is bringing a desirable retail model to Grand Island.

“Incorporating housing, incorporating entertainment, incorporating walk ability, resturants, new-to-market retail, that’s what these large anchor stores are looking for,” Snyder said.

According to Woodsonia, the Target side of the project is expected to finish in 2026.