Pete's Fresh Market Planned For Former Kmart Site In Tinley Park

TINLEY PARK, IL — The former Kmart location along Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park could soon be home to a Pete's Fresh Market grocery store. Pete's has purchased the property at 16300 S. Harlem Ave. that's been vacant for nearly four years and has plans to construct a new building and use the one that's already there at the site, according to village officials who discussed the grocer's plans at a recent village of Tinley Park board meeting.

Paula Wallrich, planning manager for the village, said officials will meet with the company later this month and possibly agree on incentives that could lead to a specific timeline issued for renovation of the Kmart building and construction of the new structure they plan to use.

Village trustees agreed last week to move forward the approval of text amendments that would lead to Pete's being allowed to use a portion of the current building at the site for warehouse purposes. Currently, the village does not allow warehouses in areas zoned B-3 like the former Kmart site.

Should the text amendments be approved, warehouse purposes would be allowed in the B-3 areas less than 50,000 square feet and would be limited to a temporary, one-year maximum usage.

Pete's desire to use the property for that purpose, Wallrich said, is an effect of the coronavirus pandemic. Their plan is to store items they buy in bulk at the location in Tinley Park and distribute them to other locations.

Pete's has other south suburban locations in Evergreen Park, Bridgeview, Lemont and Calumet City.

The Harlem Avenue site has been vacant since the Kmart closed in 2016.

"I'm very happy this old building it finding a new use," Tinley Park Village Trustee Cynthia Berg said.