Chain Store Opening In Darien Next Year

DARIEN, IL – A Burlington store is set to open in March in the place where another chain store closed last year, the Burlington chain confirmed Thursday.

The store is going in the space of the former Joann Fabrics, 7521 Lemont Road, which shut its doors last summer. Joann's parent corporation closed all the chain's locations.

Burlington has more than 1,000 stores nationwide. The chain started 50 years ago as Burlington Coat Factory.

Nearby Burlington stores are in Wheaton, Bolingbrook and Villa Park.

The Burlington store in Darien will be part of the Chestnut Court shopping center at Lemont Road and 75th Street.

In June, the City Council approved the zoning for changes to Chestnut Court. The new owner said he wanted to upgrade the mostly vacant center, with Ross Dress for Less as the largest store.

The New Jersey-based owner, Kumar Bhavanasi, had planned a 156-unit apartment building. The council approved the residential complex, but many residents protested it. Bhavanasi later withdrew the apartment plan.

In October, the council approved a special tax district for the shopping center.

Under state law, a tax district's assessed value is frozen for 23 years. Any property tax income generated from the district's increasing value is to be used in the district itself, rather than taxing bodies such as schools.

State law allows a tax district's money to be used for such things as utilities, stormwater improvements, parking lots and building renovations.