CarMax Construction In Joliet Underway

JOLIET, IL — It's been more than two years since the Joliet City Council approved plans to build a CarMax auto dealership in the northeast corner of Route 59 and Theodore Street. The project didn't stall, however. CarMax made it known back in 2019 that it didn't intend to begin construction until 2021 at the earliest.

For most of the summer, the 40-acre parcel along Route 59 remained undeveloped. Tall weeds were coming out of the ground. What a difference a week makes. Now, bulldozers have started moving mounds of dirt. Site work for the CarMax is underway.

Mark Koenig of The Koenig Group is the real estate broker for the major Joliet development. On Tuesday, Koenig told Joliet Patch that a total of four lots are now under contract, including the CarMax. Koenig said he wasn't ready to disclose the potential buyers because the deals have not been finalized yet.

However, Koenig said he's thrilled for Joliet to attract CarMax, a Fortune 500 company and the nation's largest used car retailer. CarMax becomes the second major auto dealership to open along Joliet's Route 59 corridor.

In 2019, Hawk Auto relocated a dealership on West Jefferson Street, opening new Mazda and Subaru showrooms at the corner of Route 59 and Caton Farm Road, land previously owned by the Joliet Park District as part of the 18-hole Wedgewood Golf Course.

But unlike Hawk, Koenig said, CarMax will be a new business for Joliet, a business expected to draw people from other surrounding cities and towns to purchase automobiles in Joliet. The addition of CarMax will be great for Joliet's sales tax base, Koenig said Tuesday.

Back in 2019, Patch reported that the Joliet CarMax would create 20 to 30 new full-time jobs, generate property improvements between $10 million and $11 million, plus nearly $2.6 million in retailer occupation tax money over a 15-year period.

The CarMax property along Route 59 is about 4.3 acres, Koenig said. The entire development consists of 40 acres, which is subdivided into nine lots.

When asked about the start of site excavation, Koenig responded, "It's exciting. I've been working on it for five years. To have four lots under contract, CarMax, plus three other lots, I think it's a great fit for that area. I think it could be an up and coming new area for vehicle sales."

Now that the dirt work is underway, Patch asked Koenig when the new CarMax might be ready to sell its first cars.

"Definitely by next year," he replied. "Sometime next year."