Officials say Mariano's opening in Des Plaines next March

As the building for a new Mariano's grocery store in Des Plaines takes shape, the developer in charge of the $24 million project said Thursday the store should be open by next March.

Construction has progressed significantly at the northeast corner of Golf and Mount Prospect roads since a groundbreaking event last April attended by the store's namesake, Bob Mariano, and local officials.

Dean Kelley, president of site developer Bartlett-based Abbott Land & Investment Corp., said the building walls and roof have been installed, and most of the on-site paving work is done. Off-site road improvements should be complete before winter.

"Things are going very smoothly," he said.

In exchange for a driveway easement, the developer is making some $670,000 in upgrades to neighboring Blackhawk Park. A new playground and picnic shelter should be installed by the end of the year, said Don Miletic, executive director of the Des Plaines Park District.

The park as a whole, which will include an 8-foot-wide asphalt walking path and 120-by-240-foot soccer field, should be open to the public by the time the store opens, he said.