Boston Fish Market moving to new Des Plaines location

The Des Plaines city council Monday night granted a conditional use permit to Boston Fish Market, a wholesale/retail fish supplier relocating within town.

The market, currently located at 1649 Oakton Place, will be moving to 1225 E. Forest Ave., east of Lee Street near ALDI. A one-story brick and metal building used as an office and warehouse space exists on the roughly 67,000-square-foot vacant lot.

Boston Fish Market’s hours of operation would be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The market will occasionally be open on weekends for both its wholesale and retail operation.

“I’m just glad we are retaining a business in Des Plaines,” 6th Ward Alderman Mark Walsten said.

City officials said while the market’s relocation will increase motor vehicle traffic in the area, it is not significant enough to warrant installing a signal at Forest and Lee.

“Currently, it’s about 40 percent of the volume needed in order to justify a traffic signal,” said Tim Oakley, city public works and engineering director. “Even with the development here, it’s not going to be close.”

Oakley said once the intersection reaches a traffic level to warrant a signal, the city would have to come up with roughly $300,000 to $400,000 to install it.

Another traffic study will be done in the spring, he added.