advertisement

Sam's Club on track to open in Lombard

A Sam's Club is still on track to open in Lombard, but it appears a vacant office building and an active TGI Fridays restaurant on Butterfield Road will need to be demolished to make room for the project.

Bill Heniff, director of community development, said while plans show the restaurant will be razed, there's no timeline for its closure and demolition.

"Their intent is to not have the business close while the (Sam's) project is still in the planning and development stages," he said. "It's a good and viable business and we're hoping, should this location close, that there are other opportunities within Lombard they could explore."

Representatives from TGI Fridays did not immediately respond to interview requests.

In April, Sam's Club reached a tentative agreement with Hamilton Partners, Oakridge Realty and the village to proceed with the development of a 135,000-square-foot store and 12-pump gasoline station at 611 E. Butterfield Road.

"We're still full steam ahead on this project," Heniff said. "It's an exciting project because we're bringing a use to town that we don't currently have: the warehouse grocery concept."

A representative from the Embassy Suites located just east of the property was the only person to speak at a public hearing earlier this week regarding a number of zoning changes on the site. Heniff said their primary concern was screening and landscaping between the two properties, factors he said will be addressed in more detail in final plans.

The plan commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the re-subdivision and rezoning of the property and 23 conditional uses, deviations and variations, such as an increase in fence heights and a reduction in the required number of shade trees.

The village board will now review the commission's recommendation and prepare for a vote on the zoning matters on Oct. 1.

In the meantime, the village is in the process of crafting an economic incentive agreement for the store, taking into account "some extraordinary costs with redeveloping the property," Heniff said. A draft of that agreement will be discussed at committee level next month and likely be brought to the village board on the same day as the zoning matters.

Dates for the store's construction period and opening will not be determined until the permit review process is complete, but Heniff believes ground will not be broken until next year.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.