Vacant 1st Ave. & Diamond buildings being torn down | Business

Three long vacant buildings on First Avenue at Diamond are being torn down.  Crews began the process of demolishing a small structure that most recently held public auctions and another which used to house a Hills department store, then a Venture in the 1990s and briefly, a Shopko. 

Another served as a Buy-Low that was attached to a strip mall once home to a Chinese restaurant and auto parts store, among other businesses.  All are slated to be flattened within the coming days according to the current owner.

The structures occupy a large parcel of land and the developer tells 14 News that they hope getting rid of the buildings will entice another developer to buy the property, which has been devoid of regular tenants for several years.