Pete's Fresh Market To Begin Delayed Construction In March: Mayor

TINLEY PARK, IL — The long-awaited construction of Pete's Fresh Market in Tinley Park will be pushed off a bit longer while developers wait out the snow and cold, village officials told Patch.

Originally, the addition of healthy grocery store was supposed to be completed in the 16300 Harlem Avenue lot by the end of 2022. Long waiting periods while the group got approval from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District were the reason for the delay, said Tinley Park Mayor Mike Glotz.

"Depending on the weather, they anticipate starting construction sometime in March. If it stays as cold as it has been, that timeline will push back to early April," Glotz wrote in an email to Patch.

The MWRD requires new buildings within Cook County to submit a permit for use of sewers and water waste management. As a result of multiple permit delay complaints due to the pandemic, MWRD told Patch they implemented a digital application system which has helped chip away at the backlog.

Last year, the board approved of a tax break for the developers, where the village will share 80 percent of the TIF funds produced for a maximum of 10 years — to reimburse the eligible costs and conditions outlined in the drafted agreement that was presented. This consists of sharing a maximum of $5.5 million of TIF incremental revenue produced by this site alone, according to the site plan.

The project is slated to be completed in three phases. Phase one of the plan is to redevelop the former Kmart building location into a new warehouse and distribution center for the grocery chain. Phase two will construct a new building and associated retail with the property, which will sit adjacent to the warehouse. This phase will also include an expansion of the warehouse. Phase 3 involves changes to the entrances and exists along Harlem Avenue for the property.

According to the site plan, the construction on the 24.2-acre property will include the 88,608 square-foot Pete's Fresh Market, 51,831 square feet of available retail space and a 12,400 expansion on the south side of the warehouse.

"Once this project is complete, [Pete's Fresh Market] expects to hire 30 to 40, full time employees for the distribution facility, and approximately 170 more for the supermarket. They expect the additional retail tenants to create 30 to 60 jobs and generate approximately 10 million in annual gross sales," said Community Development Director Kimberly Clarke. "The project will be an enhancement to the community. It will encourage development in the area that was considered blighted, and will create over 200 jobs between all of the retail locations, distribution facility and increase property tax values and sales tax revenue."

Pete's warehouses currently contain dry goods and non-grocery related items like fixtures and spare equipment for their stores. The chain proposed to use the vacant Kmart store to relocate items, making room for more grocery related items in their existing warehouse facilities.

Pete's is also working towards opening a location in Orland Park at the old Art Van building on Lagrange Road. Another location was recently opened in Matteson and is the largest facility the family-owned company has opened.

Related:

• Former Kmart To Become A New Warehouse For Pete's Fresh Market | Tinley Park, IL Patch
• Tinley Park Kmart Will Close: Report | Tinley Park, IL Patch
• Pete's Fresh Market Is Coming To Orland, Taking Art Van's Spot | Orland Park, IL Patch
• Largest Southland Pete's Fresh Market Opens In Matteson | Chicago Heights, IL Patch