McDonald's a step closer to restaurant in Sugar Grove

This time next year, Sugar Grove McRib fans won't have to drive to Elburn or Yorkville to satisfy their craving.

McDonald's LLC USA plans to open a restaurant at Route 47 and Park Street, just north of the Chase Bank in the shopping center that houses a Jewel-Osco store.

“It's great. We're excited,” said Richard Young, Sugar Grove's community development director.

The Plan Commission approved the plan Wednesday night. The village board will discuss it at its committee of the whole meeting Tuesday.

Young said village officials have been discussing the prospect with McDonald's for about a year. The site was originally intended to have a Jewel gas station and minimart.

McDonald's interest is just one of several signs of renewed economic development in Sugar Grove, where building came to a screeching halt in the recession. Several large housing developments have gone into foreclosure or bankruptcy.

“Things are getting better slowly,” Young said.

West Suburban Bank is opening a branch on Route 47, and two medical facilities have approached the village about building, he said.

Back in Sugar Grove's go-go growth days of the 1990s and early 2000s, regional planners estimated the town would grow from a population of 3,909 in 2000 to 33,000 by 2015 to 62,742 by 2030. As the number of rooftops grew, so would retail and restaurant chains interest in the town, they said.

The official population is 8,848.