Ricky Rockets gas station likely coming to Itasca

Itasca village officials confirmed they are finalizing plans to build a Ricky Rockets gas station as part of ongoing development in the village.

The proposed location is on the east side of Rohlwing Road between Devon Avenue and Route 390, one of three commercial developments proposed at the former site of the WBBM-780 AM radio tower. The others are for a Holiday Inn Express and an undisclosed restaurant.

"It'll be nice if we can pull all of these things off," Mayor Jeff Pruyn said during Tuesday night's village board meeting. "I like the three proposed property uses, but I know that it's going to take a while to develop."

The original gas station proposal was meant to be a Thornton's but that was withdrawn after developer Bridge Itasca LLC and commercial partner Bluestone said Thornton's proposed 2022 completion time was not ideal.

The proposed Ricky Rockets will provide an approximately 8,400-square-foot convenience store with an outdoor seating area, 20 gas station pumps for passenger vehicles, and four truck fueling stations.

Bluestone managing partner Rick Claes said Ricky Rockets could begin development sooner, by as early as the beginning of 2021.

"Ricky Rockets is a first-class developer with a lot of great plans for the Chicagoland market," Claes said.

The village board is expected to vote on finalizing the deal for the gas station Dec. 15.

The site on the southeast corner of Route 53 and Devon Avenue in Itasca, near I-290/Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, was home to a WBBM-AM 780 radio tower for 77 years before it was torn down and operations moved to Bloomingdale in June 2019.

The other sizable development proposed in the area is for a 54,233-square-foot Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hotel, which would provide 93 rooms, a business center, fitness center, pool and other amenities.