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

NEW LENOX, IL - The New Lenox Village Board took a giant step forward this week in its quest to bring Pete's Fresh Market and Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants to the fast-growing Will County village. At Monday night's meeting, the village board, in successive 5-0 votes, approved a cost-share agreement with J D Real Estate Inc. and also a purchase contract with Cooper's Hawk.

Last Friday, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann spoke Patch explaining in great detail about the village's hopeful rollout of the new construction project. New Lenox anticipates Cooper's Hawk would open next Fall or Spring 2019 and Pete's Fresh Market would open by the spring of 2020.

The development is targeted for a 9.5-acre parcel across from the Target and Lowe's Home Improvement shopping center, at the northwest corner of Route 30 and Vancina Lane.

The future site of Pete's Fresh Market and Cooper's Hawk restaurant used to be the old Dan's Florist, the mayor pointed out.

"We're taking land that has been vacant for two decades and bringing in a couple of businesses, hopefully, that have been highly requested by our residents. They're very sought-after businesses. Quite frankly, both of these places, Pete's Fresh Market and Cooper's Hawk, can really go anywhere they want. Any community would be thrilled to have them," Baldermann said this week.

New Lenox is expected to spend between $2.3 million and $2.5 million on land acquisition and infrastructure improvements.

However, New Lenox anticipates it will recoup at least $400,000 to $500,000 annually in new sales tax dollars, meaning the venture will become profitable in five or six years.

"In 10 years, we could be looking at a $2 million-plus profit on our end," Baldermann told village board members at Monday night's meeting.

The mayor also complimented the village's full-time staff as well as his colleagues on the board for their hard work in identifying key goals for New Lenox's strategic plan. "Communities that are doing well, communities that are thriving, are ones that consider themselves partners in development," Baldermann said Monday night.

Plans at the site call for a 12,000-square-foot building for Cooper's Hawk, a 60,000-square-foot storefront for Pete's as well as another 15,000 square foot out lot that remains undetermined as far as its future tenant.

"We're not over the finish line," Baldermann told the village board.

The mayor also explained that soil testing is still necessary and that both businesses still need to provide New Lenox with specifics about their engineering and architectural designs.

"This is not a done deal yet ... we have to make sure both Pete's Fresh Market and Cooper's Hawk agree with the site plan that would be set for out there," he said.

Image via Oak Park Patch