Buffalo Grove approves changes to grocery space for Whole Foods

Whole Foods may be moving into The Clove in Buffalo Grove, but it won’t be using the whole space as a conventional retail grocery store.

Buffalo Grove trustees this week voted to adjust its planning and redevelopment agreements with Kensington Development Partners to allow Whole Foods to use 35,000 square feet for the grocery and 8,000 square feet for fulfillment or storage operations.

The village also extended Kensington's deadline to reach substantial completion of the development from June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2027, with the possibility of a further 90-day extension.

It is the latest wrinkle in the saga of the village’s effort to bring a national grocer to anchor the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Town Center at Lake-Cook and McHenry roads.

Whole Foods plans to move into the space once slated for an Amazon Fresh store. Amazon actually proceeded with interior build out, only to halt construction in September as the company began to close other Amazon Fresh locations.

Having a grocery store as an anchor tenant is key for the village, since the agreements gave the developer access to Tax Increment Financing funds on condition of meeting specific performance goals, including attracting a grocer.

The request was easily approved by the village board Monday. The lone dissenter was Trustee David Weidenfeld, who objected to only 81% of the space being used for the grocery.

“So we have the equivalent of a modern day Sears Roebuck fulfillment center in a supermarket,” Weidenfeld said. “That’s not what we bargained for. We bargained for a 43,000-square-foot supermarket.”

Community Development Director Nicole Woods argued that grocery store models have evolved and that storage and fulfillment are now an integral part of how modern grocers operate. She added the village would have granted the change to Amazon.

“When I look at this change, I put it under the description of life happens. Things change. We roll with the change,” Trustee Frank Cesario said.

Village officials also noted that Woodman's, at Deerfield Parkway and Milwaukee Avenue, devotes roughly 25% of its own space to storage and distribution.

Trustee Joanne Johnson said Whole Foods is a better fit for Buffalo Grove than Amazon Fresh was.

“They’re known for certain things, like fresh fish, and that might be why they need this warehouse and distribution center, which will also bring traffic into the village,” she said.