Village Finalizes Agreement for New Restaurant, Grocery Store, In Uptown Square

Uptown Square just got fatter with the addition of Fat Ricky’s restaurant and banquet facility and the construction of Franconi’s grocery store.

Romeoville trustees approved the redevelopment agreement with BG Investments at their April 1 village board meeting, paving the way for construction of the 10,000-square-foot commercial building, according to a village E-News alert.

Groundbreaking is expected to take place later this year. The deal also sealed a deadline for BG Investments for both businesses to open in July 2016, the Times-Weekly reported.

The developer is shooting for a more optimistic opening date at the end of this year.

The development will be located at the northwest corner of IL Route 53 and Alexander Circle in front of the recently constructed Edward Hospital Athletic and Events Center, village officials said.

Plans call for a 4,000-square-foot combination grocery store and deli -- Franconi’s -- with the rest of the space housing Fat Ricky’s.

“We are very excited to proceed with this development,” Mayor John Noak announced in an email blast. “A grocery store in this area of the community has been a top priority for the Village Board. We look forward to the ground breaking this year.”

The deal was more than a year in the making, which included $450,000 in TIF incentives and $200,000 in other incentives, including a 50 percent food and beverage incentive and other general incentives, Times Weekly said.

The village also sweetened the pot by reducing the building permit fee for the project to $10,000.

In addition, the village agreed to put a moratorium on new businesses selling pizza and Italian cuisine, as well as craft beers near the new development, according to the paper.

Fat Ricky’s operates five restaurants in the south suburbs catering in pizza, pasta, burgers, chicken and other menu items. The Romeoville restaurant will continue to operate at its current location at 660 Independence Blvd. while construction is underway.