Cooper's Hawk, Pete's, Mayor Baldermann Explains What's Next

NEW LENOX, IL - In the Bible, Moses led the Israelites to safety by parting the Red Sea. In "Lawrence of Arabia," T.E. Lawrence captured Damascus from the Turks against unbelievable odds. Here in New Lenox, Mayor Tim Baldermann landed his growing village a Pete's Fresh Market as well as a Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. Both at the same time.

The Lincoln-Way area mayor's feat may not turn into a Hollywood script or win him an Oscar, but it's still being heralded as a miraculous accomplishment for New Lenox, Will County's fastest growing community.

Today, New Lenox has about 28,000 residents within village limits but it's actually closer to 45,000 people if you include the unincorporated rooftops, the mayor noted. At this time next year, there's a good chance Cooper's Hawk will be open along Route 30. The Pete's Fresh Market will likely be built farther back on the lot, with a grand opening eyed for the spring of 2020. The development plans also call for adding one more retail outlet or restaurant as part of this 9.5-acre development.

"Right now, this was a big project for us," Baldermann told New Lenox Patch during an interview out at the site of the future Pete's Fresh Market and Cooper's Hawk restaurant. "This was by far the number one requested restaurant and Pete's was a high-quality market that was frequently requested."

RELATED: New Lenox OKs Deal For Pete's, Cooper's Hawk

RELATED: Cooper's Hawk, Pete's Fresh Market Coming To New Lenox

For readers outside New Lenox, the open parcel of land is across the street from the Portillo's Hot Dogs and the Lowe's Home Improvement shopping center, along Route 30 near Vancina Drive.

The great thing about landing Cooper's Hawk and Pete's Fresh Market is that the New Lenox development is certain to make New Lenox an even bigger draw from surrounding communities, particularly Mokena and Frankfort, Baldermann said Wednesday.

"There's no doubt in my mind that they will draw from southern Cook County and all over Will County," he said.

The future home of Cooper's Hawk and Pete's is already surging. Besides Lowe's, Target and Portillo's Hot Dogs, there's Michaels, Five Guys and LA Fitness.

Patch asked Baldermann whether the announcement that Cooper's Hawk and Pete's are coming to New Lenox will make it easier to find a top-caliber business to locate on the third site at the 9.5-acre parcel. That lot could hold up to a 15,000 square foot building.

"No question. No question," he repeated. "When you can continue to bring quality development like this, it spurs additional interest from other developers."

So, what's next for Baldermann? Where does he want to land his next big catch? Moving forward, in 2018, the mayor said he wants to focus efforts out near the Silver Cross Hospital. Baldermann wants to see that medical campus area flourish over near Route 6 and Interstate 355.

In October, the mayor participated in a ceremonial ground-breaking event over near Silver Cross for Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital, a future two-story 100-bed psychiatric hospital that is expected to be completed during the early part of 2019 serving residents of Will and Grundy Counties.

RELATED: Silver Oaks Hospital Will Open

"There is a lot of room up there to continue to expand that medical campus," Baldermann said Wednesday. "Quality health care, to me, is just as important, if not more important, than any type of development we can bring here."

So what additional commercial developments could compliment the existing Silver Cross Hospital campus?

"Now we need some restaurants and a hotel, that sort of thing," he said.

Images via John Ferak, Patch Editor for New Lenox, Joliet and Bolingbrook, image of Silver Cross Hospital provided to New Lenox Patch with permission to use.