'No Way': Burr Ridge Mayor On Development Idea

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso makes one thing clear about what he wants for the County Line Square shopping center: No residential.

This position came to light in emails obtained recently from the village government.

In October 2019, Larry Powers, managing partner of Chicago-based Centrum Realty & Development, informed village officials about a contract to purchase the shopping center.

In response, village officials welcomed discussions with Powers.

"It's a center that has great potential, but in need of a little attention, and I want to offer my support and will work closely with you, so you (and we) are successful," Mayor Gary Grasso said in an email at the time. "You have invested in 'a very special place,'" referring to the village's slogan.

In December, however, Powers notified the village that his company had to take "a step back from this opportunity."

"We see tremendous upside on the asset and the retail pocket in general, but the path to redevelopment seemed to be uncertain given certain encumbrances. We are planning to monitor the asset and if something changes, we will be all over it," Powers said. "Your pro-active approach is exactly what a developer (and community) needs in a situation like this."

A day later, the mayor emailed Powers to say it was important the shopping center be improved and sustained through "new blood." He said Centrum's broker brought up a residential concept for County Line Square.

As a component, Grasso said, the village would consider residential for the center. But the center as a whole must remain a significant sales tax generator, he said.

"Be glad to discuss all scenarios," the mayor said. "I know how challenging commercial realty can be in this online shopping world."

A month earlier, the mayor told five of the six village trustees in an email that the deal between Centrum and County Line Square owner Bob Garber collapsed over an impasse to "repurpose" Brookhaven grocery store. That information was labeled "confidential." He did not include then-Trustee Zach Mottl on the email list. The men are political rivals.

In the same email, Grasso told the trustees that Centrum's broker asked about allowing residential uses in County Line Square.

"I promptly said 'no way,'" the mayor said. "I reiterated: sales tax, sales tax and not 'service' stores/e.g. Fred Astaire-type, non-sales tax establishments."

In the emails, Grasso asked his son, Daniel Grasso, who works for a real estate services firm, about Centrum.

"Pls see what you can learn for you that's public knowledge," the mayor said.

His son responded that he knew someone in Centrum when the person worked for another firm.

In an email last week, Grasso told Patch, "The Village then and now wants to be active in the discussions because (County Line Square) needs major upgrades."

The village's 2019 emails on County Line Square were obtained by Mottl, the former trustee, through a public records request. He forwarded them to Patch.

In a message to Patch, Mottl said he was left off the email to the board because he was the only one who was not a "bobble head, rubber stamp" for Grasso. He said he was trying to stop the mayor's "unscrupulous" dealings.

Last week, the Village Board approved an overall plan for parking at County Line Square, the lack of which had been a frustration for local officials.

At the meeting, Grasso said the plan would bring the shopping center into "a state of compliance more consistent with overall standards in Burr Ridge."

This fall, the board designated the Village Center, County Line Square and nearby areas as a downtown business district. In the district, the village imposed a 1 percent sales tax to pay for projects there.

Patch left messages with Powers and John Garber, who has been serving as the spokesman for his father on County Line Square.