Chick-Fil-A Eyes Deerfield Site After Office Depot Demolition

DEERFIELD, IL — Developers have proposed tearing down the former site of an Office Depot and replacing it with a Chick-Fil-A restaurant and an 8,000-square-foot multi-tenant building with a drive-thru. The 99 S. Waukegan Road property sits right along the Northbrook-Deerfield border across the street from the Deerbrook Shopping Center, which is currently being renovated.

New businesses planned for Deerbrook, which demolished its interior mall this year, include a Stein Mart and an Art Van Furniture, with a barbecue restaurant also seeking a permit to open at the site.

A lawyer for the developers said the Office Depot site has been vacant for five years, according to the Deerfield Review.

One of the developers said other national retailers have had interest but only Chick-Fil-A had committed to it, the paper reported. A consultant for Chick-Fil-A said it has not been determined who will operate the franchise, but the company wants them to be involved in the community and hold "daddy-daughter events."

Chick-Fil-A has existing north and northwest suburban locations in Crystal Lake, Gurnee, Kildeer, Mount Prospect, Skokie, Vernon Hills and two in Schaumburg.

There was no sign of disapproval from the Deerfield Plan Commission when the proposal was presented Thursday. The next step in the approval process is a public hearing Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m., the Deerfield Review reported.

_{Top photo: Former site of Office Depot on Waukegan Road, Deerfield, in 2016 | Google Street View}