Get ready to shop more in Antioch, as village OKs center
Antioch's retail offerings are about to get a lot larger.
On Monday, the village board unanimously approved an expansive shopping center that will add three big-box stores and numerous other shops to the Route 173 landscape.
"The bottom line is the village of Antioch needs the business," Trustee Scott Pierce said. "We need to build an aquatic center, to fix the roads, to expand our village hall so people don't have to stand during the meetings. In the end, this is a good product for Antioch."
The product is Antioch Marketplace, a 600,000 square-foot project planned for the north side of Route 173, just west of Wal-Mart and Menards.
So far, Target, Lowes and Kohl's Department Store have agreed to occupy the big-box buildings while Best Buy, Shoe Carnival, Petsmart and Staples also have made commitments to open stores in the shopping center.
Developers from V-Land Corporation promised Antioch Marketplace will not only be a shopper's dream but a financial coup for the village. Development manager Andrew Goodman has pledged $1.5 million per year in property taxes to the village, with $750,00 going to Antioch Elementary District and $550,000 annually going to the high school district.
"On one hand, we are going to lose a natural look this town has enjoyed for thousands of years," said Trustee Dennis Crosby. "On the other side of this picture, this village needs money. We have a huge need to bring revenue into the city, and this is a good way to do it."
The village had to annex almost 85 acres from unincorporated Lake County Monday to make the development possible.
Approval came after several months of meetings and repeated protest from people who worry the chain retailers will hurt downtown Antioch's independent business owners.
Last month, Goodman told the board he and his partners would contribute $100,000 to a downtown development fund. On Monday, at the request of Crosby, Goodman doubled the contribution to $200,000.
Other opponents, several of whom live behind the development on Little Silver Lake, say the project will increase traffic and cause noise, light and lake pollution.
"Antioch doesn't have the infrastructure to support this project, particularly with traffic," said Virgil Coker, 22520 W. Lillian Place. "There is no way Route 173 can handle the additional cars. It is going to hurt everybody, including the stores that go in there."
Another concern shared by homeowners who live along Little Silver Lake is how the backs of the retail buildings would be screened so property values aren't affected. While the problem wasn't solved Monday, a committee was appointed to make sure concerns from adjacent residents are addressed.
"Big compromises have been made here by residents," Crosby said. "But there are still big concerns to them, and their concerns are legitimate."