Pingree Grove lands first shopping plaza

The good news is that a shopping center, complete with a sit-down restaurant, is finally coming to Pingree Grove.

But the bad news is there's no grocery store planned for the complex, meaning residents will continue schlepping to neighboring communities for food and other essentials.

This week, the village board approved plans and zoning for Old Oaks Square, Pingree Grove's first shopping center.

It is slated for the southwest corner of Reinking Road and Route 72 near the Cambridge Lakes subdivision.

The plan includes space for a restaurant that may include outdoor seating, a bank, office space and a central gathering spot that may feature a clock tower, a fountain or a statue.

The shopping center, to be constructed out of stone and masonry, would be pedestrian friendly with a connected bike path and racks around the perimeter, Village President Wyman "Clint" Carey said.

And although Old Oaks Square won't include a food store, the center will still fill a void in Pingree Grove and keep residents closer to home, he said.

"Everybody either has to go to Elgin or to Huntley or probably to Hampshire - we have no essential services," he said.

In approving the zoning, the board laid out a four-page list of acceptable and unacceptable uses for the property to Aurora-based developer LJ Morse Construction Co. to mirror the quality of life the village is trying to attain and attract businesses proven to generate sales tax, Carey said.

No-nos include tattoo parlors, outdoor-storage facilities, coin-operated laundries, funeral parlors, currency exchanges, credit unions, body-piercing studios and adult entertainment establishments.

Permissible businesses include dry cleaners, sporting goods stores, stationery shops, hat shops, music stores, candy stores and delis.

Construction could begin as early as the fall.