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Arlington Heights hoping to attract restaurants to planned strip mall

After a deal for Wendy's and Taco Bell restaurants fell through, Arlington Heights officials are turning to a new developer for a village-owned site in hopes of luring other eateries or retailers.

The village board Monday agreed to designate Strategic Real Estate Services Corp. and Paragon Real Estate as developer of the 1.4-acre vacant property at the northeast corner of Arlington Heights and Golf roads. The board is giving the developer six months to find potential tenants for a proposed 9,780-square-foot strip mall, which could include a single user like a microbrewery, or several smaller users like fast casual restaurants, officials said.

“Most everybody knows retail is in a bit of a transition because of the Amazons of the world and all the internet shopping,” said Randy Tieman, of Strategic, at a village board meeting Monday night. “That said, I think what your most likely user or users of all or most of this property will be is food and beverage oriented.”

Trustees on Monday weighed in on what they would like to see there — and what they wouldn't.

“We're not looking to see another mattress store or mobile store on that corner,” Trustee John Scaletta said. “We're looking to see something different from what we already have.”

Strategic/Paragon's $1.2 million proposal to buy and develop the property was one of three offers received by the village in March 2017. After reviewing plans, the board in June favored a proposed $1 million offer from brothers John and Nicholas Kallergis of The Twins Group to develop the site with free-standing Wendy's and Taco Bell restaurants.

But after months of negotiations and considering the difficulty of building two restaurants on the site, the brothers decided they would rebuild their existing Taco Bell on Algonquin Road east of New Wilke Road in Arlington Heights, according to Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village's director of planning and community development. They had planned to relocate it to the Arlington Heights/Golf site, while teaming with Wendy's franchise owner Michael Hamra to build his restaurant there.

Strategic/Paragon, meanwhile, has remained interested in the location. Officials plan to market the site at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas May 20-23.

“We do need some time,” Tieman told trustees. “At the same time, we're going to hit it hard.”

A potential redevelopment agreement and real estate contract for the land would only come after tenants are secured, village officials said.

Their least favored option was the $1.2 million offer from Troutman & Dams LLC to relocate the nearby McDonald's on Golf Road and add a dual drive-through.

Arlington Hts. gets three offers for vacant corner

Wendy's, Taco Bell proposed for vacant Arlington Heights corner

Arlington Heights will pay $45,000 to study TIF district

  A 1.4-acre piece of land on the northeast corner of Arlington Heights and Golf roads in Arlington Heights could soon be home to a retail building for one or multiple users. Christopher Placek/cplacek@dailyherald.com, 2017
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