Cooper's Hawk could be coming to Bloomingdale

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant may soon be swooping into Bloomingdale.

The upscale national wine and restaurant chain based in Downers Grove has been eyeing a Bloomingdale site west of Stratford Square Mall at 200 S. Gary Ave. The site formerly was home to Barnes & Noble.

Yet, a Cooper's Hawk spokesperson did not confirm the Bloomingdale expansion.

“We are considering Bloomingdale for a potential Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants location, and we are excited about the area,” marketing manager Ami Vanderhoof said. “We hope to have more news in the coming months we are able to share.”

The company recently opened a new restaurant called Piccolo Buco in Oak Brook. It's an American outpost of the Neapolitan pizza and pasta restaurant based in Rome.

Plans for Cooper's Hawk to come to Bloomingdale appear to be progressing through the village approval process.

On June 21, Bloomingdale's planning and zoning commission gave a special-use conversion recommendation for the 22,000 square feet of former retail space to become a restaurant with outdoor dining capabilities. And on July 11, the full village board of trustees is tentatively set to vote on the restaurant.

Bloomingdale Village President Franco A. Coladipietro already has shared his support for Cooper's Hawk, especially in light of ongoing economic feasibility studies on the redevelopment of Stratford Square Mall. He added that Bloomingdale plans to solicit more public input via an online survey on the village's website.

“The Cooper's Hawk development adds value to our redevelopment to bring in a project of that caliber to the community,” Coladipietro said. “Bloomingdale has robust retail and dining options, and Cooper's Hawk is going to enhance that experience for our residents and residents of surrounding communities.”