A community eyesore will soon be no more.

The demolition process for the dilapidated Eastgate Shopping Plaza in Niles Township will begin Friday, according to Niles Township Supervisor Jim Kidwell.

ML Developers, the owner of the property, has hired BG Construction out of Buchanan to raze the building, which has been vacant since 2006.

Kidwell said visible progress of the demolition may take some time, as the asbestos abatement must take place before the company begins actually knocking down walls. The company estimates it will be mid-January before the wrecking balls will be released.

Still Kidwell is excited to see action finally take place on the building.

“It’s a welcoming sight for me,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard to try to get this thing torn down for two years.”

Berrien County Community Development Director Dan Fette told Berrien County commissioners in November that ML Developers will look to sell the property to one or more businesses or organizations once the property is cleaned up.

ML Developers is funding the $319,295 project but is eligible for reimbursement from new property taxes generated from the redeveloped property, as part of their Brownfield Redevelopment Authority plan.

Eastgate was a popular shopping center in the 1960s and 70s, featuring more than 20 businesses.

When the property was sold to MoorPark Associates in the mid-1990s, businesses began to vacate and the property began to deteriorate due to lack of maintenance.