Orland Park board members OK redevelopment of vacant Toys “R” Us property
Frankfort continues fee waiver program for actively serving military members
ORLAND PARK, Ill.
A vacant site once occupied by Toys “R” Us may soon be home to as many as five restaurants.
The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted 6-0 Monday, April 20, to approve plans for LaGrange Square – a project that proposes to redevelop the 4.9-acre site located at 45 Orland Square Drive.
The proposal calls for demolishing the current 44,200-square-foot building and replacing it with three buildings: one standalone building with a drive-thru; another standalone building; and a multitenant building that will have space for three restaurants.
Ed Lelo, director of development services for the Village, said the proposed tenants for the multitenant building include Chipotle, Panera Bread. He also said BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse was being tapped for the standalone restaurant building and Raising Cane’s was planned for the standalone building with the drive-thru.
The site has been vacant since 2018 when Toys “R” Us closed.
“This strikes me as very good news,” Trustee James Dodge said during the discussion.
Mayor Keith Pekau agreed, before calling for the vote.
“I think this is a great project for the Village,” Pekau said.
Pekau responds to concert series concerns
Near the end of the meeting, Pekau responded to some criticism he saw regarding the Village announcing the 2020 Centennial Park West Concert Series lineup on April 17.
Pekau reminded residents that President Donald Trump recently announced his “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again” and that Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was going to work with regional governors on how to reopen the economy.
“Our decision to continue to plan for our summer events is consistent with these reopening plans,” Pekau said. “If we open at the end of Gov. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, that would mean that everything will be open by mid-June, including large events. Why wouldn’t Orland Park host our events?”
The mayor said if the concerts were canceled right now, Orland Park would still have to pay the bands. If the Village refused to pay, it could be sued.
“Also, canceling now would certainly lead to us being blackballed by future performers, so we’d have a difficult time doing concerts in the future,” Pekau said.
Moving forward, Pekau said if conditions dictate that concerts cannot be held and large gatherings are not allowed, then the Village can cancel the concert at no cost except for the marketing expenses.
“We will know a lot more in 90 days than we do today,” he said.
The mayor also said that if the concert is canceled for COVID-19 reasons, the ticket purchases will be refunded. He added that it would be “relatively easy” for the Village to cancel a concert on short notice if needed.
“But these events can’t be held if they are not planned,” Pekau said. “And we are going to continue with our planning. It actually would have reflected poor leadership to cancel now when we don’t have the facts, and it would have cost us more money.”
Trustees approve playground renovations
The board members also voted 6-0 to fund renovations for seven playgrounds. The contract is in an amount not to exceed $397,455.45 to Landscape Structures Inc. and is for renovations for the following playgrounds:
Bill Young
Cameno Real
Discovery
Pulte
Village Square
Wedgewood Estates
Spring Creek
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Frankfort continues fee waiver program for actively serving military members
FRANKFORT, Ill.
In recognition of the sacrifices being made by Frankfort residents who are actively serving in the United States Armed Forces, the Village of Frankfort Board of Trustees voted 6-0 Monday, April 20, to approve a resolution providing a temporary waiver of sewer and water fees.
The measure grants active-duty service members a waiver of six months.
“We’ve been doing this for a number of years, and it is a sign of support to our residents who are serving in the military and their families,” Mayor Jim Holland said when introducing the resolution.
To be eligible for the waiver, the service member must:
Be a resident or utility customer of the Village.
Be on deployment for a minimum of six months.
Complete an application form.
Provide a copy of military form DD214 and driver’s license.
After being granted, the applicant’s waiver may be renewed if the service member is still on active duty. The program will expire April 30, 2021.
MORE FROM THESE MEETINGS COMING LATER THIS WEEK:
A deep dive into the newly passed ethics ordinance in Orland Park (subscribers only).
The Village of Frankfort passing its fiscal year 2020-2021 budget (free)