Itasca hopes buying former Starbucks site is step toward downtown development

Itasca has bought the empty former Starbucks location for $1.1 million, and officials say it will be an excellent property to redevelop as part of the village's downtown revitalization.

Located at 102 E. Irving Park Road, the store closed in August 2020, one of 400 locations the Starbucks Corp. announced it was closing at the time.

The Starbucks moved to a new location in Wood Dale with a higher volume of traffic. Although disappointed with the decision to move the coffee house out of Itasca, Mayor Jeff Pruyn still sees promise in having more room for development downtown.

"It is exciting to see our plans and discussions surrounding downtown Itasca coming to fruition," Pruyn said.

"Opportunities to invest so directly into our village, and specifically our downtown corridors, do not come around often. We look forward to partnering with a new business that will bring another amenity to the heart of downtown."

This is Itasca's second property purchase in the last year as part of its downtown revitalization plan. The first was Kean's Bakery, which was bought for $500,000.

A statement released by the village said that several local and national brands have expressed interest in the site, including the Chicago-based Stan's Donuts & Coffee. Stan's has 13 locations in the area, primarily in Chicago but also including Woodfield Mall and Oakbrook Terrace.