Movie theater now part of Wheeling Town Center plan
Developers for the Wheeling Town Center received another extension last week, but said they are still confident in the plan, which now includes a major entertainment venue as the anchor site.
Urban R2 Co. now has until July 31 to present final site plans to the Wheeling Village Board, a deadline that was extended in December and again in March.
The anticipated town center, on the former Wickes Furniture site on Dundee Road, is expected to be a $120 million project with a mix of large and small retailers, parking, a greenway, residential buildings and a large anchor.
The extension is necessary because a large movie theater venue has agreed to move into the anchor location and some changes are needed to accommodate that client, said Brad Friedman, executive vice president for Urban R2.
“This is a large project, and we want to make sure it gets done right the first time,” Friedman said. We need to take our time and the extensions are really for the better of the project.”
Originally the plan called for a large mixed-use anchor site with a residential tower above it. However, after coming to an agreement with the movie theater, developers decided to redraw plans, so each will stand alone.
Because the deal is not final, Friedman would not name the theater company, but said the Wheeling location would be the company's first foray into the Chicago area.
“It's a pretty unique theater concept,” Friedman said of the venue that will take up 30,000 square feet and have six to eight screens showing studio and independent films.
The theater may also serve food, wine and beer, providing for a different movie going experience, he said. The company may also get involved in the community by offering its stages for public events or participating in film festivals.
Village President Judy Abruscato said the theater/restaurant idea will be a good addition for Wheeling.
“People have asked for a theater in this town for almost 30 years, and it hasn't worked out, so it will be wonderful,” she said.
Original plans called for the site to be open by summer 2014.
Now, the town center project is being broken down into phases, Friedman said, with the first step to start building at least one of the two planned 150-unit residential towers by spring 2013.
The theater will be built in phase 2 soon after, and the later phases will fill in the rest of the town center with other retail spots and restaurants.
Once the center is constructed, Friedman said he envisions a place where families can get lunch, sit outside, see a movie, go shopping but also play sports and take in a concert at Heritage Park, which is undergoing its own multimillion-dollar renovation next door.
“We want (the town center) to serve as a public gathering place,” Friedman said. “There's really good retail action on Milwaukee Avenue with a lot of restaurants, but there's no place where people can just go and hang out, and we're looking to create that.”
In spite of the extensions, Abruscato said she feels confident in the project and that the eventual town center will be worth the wait.
Wheeling has been trying to redevelop the more than 10-acre former Wickes site since the village bought it in 2008 for $3.7 million.
“It's an exciting time and when it's done it should be excellent,” Abruscato said. “I think they're going to do what we need and it's the answer to a dream come true to have that development get started.”