Wal-Mart Supercenter to open in Carpentersville next summer

Wal-Mart has been given the green light to begin construction on its new supercenter in Carpentersville, which is scheduled to be completed by next summer.

The village board unanimously approved the final plan for the new development Tuesday. The approximately 27-acre property, which Wal-Mart purchased from the Meadowdale Shopping Center, is located near the intersection of Lake Marian Road and Kennedy Drive.

The nearly 183,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter will have groceries, general merchandise, a seasonal garden center and a fuel center, said Greg Cresto, project manager at Manhard Consulting, Ltd.

An outlot along Lake Marian Road, also owned by Wal-Mart, will be used for future development, Cresto said, which could include retail space or a new restaurant.

Trustee Pat Schultz said Carpentersville residents have been eagerly waiting for work to begin on the site.

"It'll be their own grand celebration," she said. "They're going to be very excited just to see the silt (construction) fence put up."

The village has approved permits for the property and will start issuing them Wednesday, said Community Development Director Marc Huber. Construction has been awarded to Novak Construction Inc. and will likely begin right away, he said.

"They're interested in getting started," Huber said, noting that the store is expected to open in early summer of 2016. "It's an aggressive schedule."

Carpentersville is currently being sued by East Dundee over the project. East Dundee officials aren't trying to stop Wal-Mart from moving; rather, they are trying to prevent the world's largest retailer from obtaining about $4.3 million in funding from a special taxing district to move to Carpentersville.

East Dundee attorneys have argued that state law prevents the use of tax increment financing district funds to be used if a business is moving less than 10 miles to another town. The new Wal-Mart site is less than 2 miles from the current East Dundee location, attorneys said, and the intent of state law is to prevent towns from poaching businesses from each other.

• Daily Herald staff writer Harry Hitzeman contributed to this story.