Work resumes on Libertyville grocery store

Libertyville-area shoppers may have to wait until March for what is described as a top-shelf grocery store.

Work on the $10 million Fresh Foods project has resumed at the site of the former Frank's Nursery and Crafts, 1600 S. Milwaukee Ave., after being idle for months.

Material and labor issues are blamed for delaying the project, which has strong support from village leaders.

"Some columns were removed so some steel had to be refabricated," said Jim Stivers, operations manager for Lincolnwood developer Dean Theo. Major steel work will begin this week or early next week, he said.

Stivers also said the excavating contractor defaulted and had to be replaced. The second company wasn't immediately available, leading to further delays, he added.

While the project apparently is back on track, the timetable for a grand opening has changed.

"Thanksgiving is out of the question. Now we're still hoping to be open by the end of the year, by Christmas," Stivers said. That decision is pending, however, and the opening could be delayed until March.

"Probably in a couple of weeks, if things haven't progressed, we'll have to make a decision. I don't want to open in January," he said.

The Libertyville location would be the first Fresh Foods store in the Chicago area. It has been described as having an upscale mixture of gourmet, natural and organic foods, modeled after Central Market, which operates eight stores in Texas, including Dallas and Houston.

Fresh Market will feature restaurant-caliber chefs cooking prepared foods including dinners to go, live bands, activities for children, a cooking school and other shopper-friendly elements, according to Stivers.

"I think we're going to be something new, fresh and exciting that is going to turn heads," he said. The store will be about 40,000 square feet, with a 5,000-square-foot mezzanine. Typical grocery stores are about 60,000 square feet.

Developers approached the village about a year ago. The proposal was well received, as redevelopment of vacant and shuttered properties is a goal of the village board.

Several exceptions were granted, including the number of parking spaces and amount of open space. A disagreement over the number and size of signs took months to resolve but didn't affect construction.