Naperville officials considering plan for shuttered Butera location

Naperville officials are considering a development proposal for the Eagle Crest shopping plaza, anchored by the shuttered Butera grocery store, located on the southwest corner of East Chicago Avenue and Olesen Drive.

A Heinen's, an Ohio-based grocery chain with several suburban locations, would move into the Butera space. To pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades, the city would designate the area as a business district and add a sales tax increase of up to 1% on purchases made at the shopping center.

The additional sales tax would remain in place for up to 23 years.

At their meeting last week, city council members voted 8-1 to approve a resolution expressing their intent to consider the business district designation for 1256-1290 E. Chicago Ave. Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor, citing her opposition to imposing an additional tax on residents, was the lone "no" vote.

An ordinance to create the business district will be introduced at a future meeting.

"This seems like a private property issue," Bruzan Taylor said. "The burden should not be placed on the residents, whether directly or indirectly."

Upon purchasing the 7.31-acre lot, which includes the entire strip mall, Heinen's plans to eliminate flooding issues by raising the site a couple of feet and creating water storage underneath the property. The cost of the work is estimated at $2 million, which would be financed by the additional sales tax money.

According to city officials, Heinen's has retained a law firm to ensure the area qualifies as a blighted area.

The strip mall, built in the 1970s, has an expansive parking lot that often floods. Because the site also drains stormwater from Pembroke Park to the south, city officials said the upgrade would benefit the entire area.

"There are many ways you can solve the stormwater problem," said Bill Novack, director of the city's transportation, engineering and development department. "But the flavor of the day right now is basically raising both the building and the site."