Chick-fil-A commits to Buffalo Grove's The Clove

Whether the $150 million redevelopment of Buffalo Grove's Town Center shopping center becomes a destination remains to be seen, but the firm behind it has received a commitment from a restaurant that is a proven draw.

Kensington Development Partners has a reached a deal with Chick-fil-A to occupy a new outlot in The Clove project at Lake-Cook Road, Route 83 and Old Checker Road. The restaurant would sit at the northwest corner of Old Checker Road and Route 83.

The announcement is contained in the agenda packet for Wednesday's meeting of Buffalo Grove's Planning and Zoning Commission.

The commission is set to consider a proposed modification to the planned redevelopment of the Town Center, which would allow the project to take place in one phase instead of the previously approved two-stage plan. Commission members also will review the Chick-fil-A proposal, as well as the facade and landscaping enhancements planned for an existing building north of Old Checker.

The Chick-fil-A announcement is another indication that the redevelopment is moving ahead more quickly than initially anticipated.

The plan for Chick-fil-A calls for a 5,200-square-foot restaurant with a double drive through lane and an outdoor patio. It's another sign The Clove project is moving faster than the village and developers expected.

Among the plan's key elements are a new 43,000-square-foot grocery store, a seven-story apartment building with 16,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, 65,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space scattered throughout the 20-acre site, and a "Central Park" in the middle of the site for artistic and civic events.

Under an agreement with the village, Kensington will receive up to $24.75 million in tax increment financing district funds from the village to assist with the project.