Oak Forest Will Buy Former Ace Hardware Site

Oak Forest aldermen this week approved the purchase of a two-acre site to help facilitate development as part of the Gateway project near the Metra station.

The purchase will include the long-vacant Ace Hardware building at 15541 Cicero Ave., and the land upon which it sits, at a price of $470,000. Developer Mack Companies will chip in $85,000 toward the purchase.

Officials need the land to move forward with plans for retail and family housing meant to attract Metra commuters, Daily Southtown reports.

The city will buy the land, then hand it back to Mack to get the project moving. A “large retailer of home remodeling products” is already eyeing the property, officials said. They remain mum on the exact name of the retailer.

The deal comes with a property and sales tax rebate of $165,000 over five years.

What’s Next for Ace?

In case you missed it, Ace Hardware will move back in just up the road, at 15426 Cicero Ave., the former House of Brews/Numero Uno space. The 11,000-square-foot retail center will feature a log-cabin exterior and a garden center in the rear parking lot.