Libertyville grocery site soon should be busy

Delays have beset a planned upscale grocery store on Libertyville's southern entry, but the developer says there should be considerable activity in coming weeks.

The steel skeleton of the $10 million Fresh Foods Market, 1600 S. Milwaukee Ave., presents a stark image, but work is set to resume.

"That building has to be closed up before the holidays," said Dean Theo, a developer from Lincolnwood. "Construction is moving along. Obviously we had some problems with the steel and had the contractor replaced."

A rotunda has been fabricated and awaits installation. Utilities and other site work are expected to be done by the end of the month. A new general contractor also has been hired.

"We are getting back on track and we're very hopeful for a May 1 completion," General Manager Jim Stivers said.

The store is being built on the site of the former Frank's Nursery and Crafts, a priority for the village board to be improved.

"Trust me. We're going to be there," Theo said. "It's not just a box. We're very meticulous about the way we're putting this structure together."

Plan changes include the removal of some interior columns to provide a more open look, he said.

Theo acknowledged there have been some "bumps in the road" involving the project.

That view apparently is shared by some contractors who have filed liens regarding their work on the project.

In a lien filed Nov. 5, Landmark Construction Services Inc. of Tinley Park said it was hired in December to provide material and labor for a 40,000-square-foot grocery store. The firm says it is owed more than $610,000.

Tri-Co Excavators of Libertyville also filed a lien at the end of September, saying work was substantially complete by the end of August and it is owed nearly $20,000.

Liens are common, according to Marc Brogan, Lake County's chief deputy recorder of deeds, and would not necessarily affect the progress of a project.

"Somebody is recording it (lien) to give everybody notice there's an obligation to be met," he said. "At one point that lien gets released or satisfied."

The Fresh Foods store would be the first in the Chicago area and is described as having an upscale mix of gourmet, natural and organic foods.

A cooking school and other shopper-friendly elements are touted as making it something different in the area.