Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Roundy's Market Coming to Maryville Development?

Color us skeptical, but Crain's has a story today about Roundy's/ Mariano's fresh food markets entering Chicago, including the proposed Maryville development site at Clarendon and Montrose.

"In Uptown, Roundy's lease is for about 65,000 square feet in the first phase of the planned three-tower Lakeview Station development near Montrose Harbor, says Marty Paris, President of Chicago-based Sedgwick Properties Development Corp.

“We think (Mariano's) is going to be a real first-quality grocery store,” Mr. Paris says. “It's kind of going to set the standard for the type of development we're going to deliver.”  Mr. Paris says Sedgwick is in advanced talks with a health club that would lease about 45,000 square feet. That deal would almost fully lease up the retail portion of the project, he says, and enable Sedgwick to line up its construction loan and break ground this summer."

Read the entire article here.  We'll be very happy if we can be shopping at Mariano's in a few years, but we've seen a lot of promises about upscale grocery stores coming to Uptown over the years and an equal number of promises broken.  With the talk of a Roundy's/Mariano also buzzing for the 47th Ward development at Ravenswood and Lawrence, our skeptism grows that two stores would be built so close to one another.  We hope it really happens this time, but we aren't holding our breath.

16 comments:

  1. This is straight from the developer playbook.

    I'd love to see it, but I don't think there is any real chance it will happen.

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  2. What effect will this have on the existing businesses in the neighborhood? Are taxpayers being asked to subsidize one (well two) business at the expense of other neighborhood businesses? Specifically, will this merely result in two big vacant spaces at Montrose/Broadway?

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  3. This grocery chain is aggressively targeting the Chicagoland area. A Mariano's will be built in Greektown within the next year or so. I expect the Mariano's at Clarendon to be an anchor tenant if the greater project moves forward.

    Borders and Target were and are the pioneers in today's Uptown. Don't be so shocked when other big-box retailers or grocers follow suite.

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  4. I do hope this does happen however, talk is cheap. I will believe it when the developer has a signed contact without the use of TIF monies.

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  5. I thought that Roundy's was supposed to be the anchor tenant a few blocks away at another controversial development in the 47th ward. Ravens wood and Lawrence. Maybe they plan on doing both but maybe they also like the free publicity of saying they are going to move into a location

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  6. Having read the article, it looks like they're all signed up. I just hope we taxpayers are subsidizing them so they can create a different vacant storefront (or two).

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  7. There's one in Arlington Heights and it's a great store. Better produce than Jewel or Whole Foods in my opinion, and good selection of all the staples. I'd much rather shop at Roundy's/Mariano's than at that cruddy Jewel.

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  8. Grocery-schmocery. I wanna know what gym they are in talks with...!

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  9. Skepitcal. The building next to Weiss promised us hospital folk that a Dunkin' Donuts and Panera. Mentioned a gift shop and flower shop...Foreclosure now.

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  10. My parents live in Arlington Heights, and yes, that Mariano's Fresh Market is nice. They have a nice "Make your own 6-pack" section with like 100+ different breweries and the price is pretty reasonable for craft beers. It's a great way to try beers and see if you like them before you get a whole 6-pack.

    If they come, great. I'm skeptical about everything though. Block 37 had a gym and Muvico Theaters signed, and then the gym "moved" to Roosevelt Collection, and that has yet to open. As for the theaters, they are supposedly still in Block 37, but also have yet to open.

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  11. It was my understanding that the whole Ravensood/Lawrence development was scrapped at this point due to complaints about noise from those living in that area. To add to it...Metra has delayed the upgrade to the station due to logistic issues with trains needing to run on one set of tracks.
    It is possible that with those delays they went looking for other areas...this of course is mere speculation.

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  13. Hey Brianbobcat, funny you should mention Block 37. I was told 'off the record' by two City Hall sources that they call the proposed Maryville development... Uptown's Block 37.

    For a Block 37 hoot, check out this Huffington Post link:
    Inside Block 37: Chicago's Bizarre and Empty Shopping Center.

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  14. Brianbobcat -

    The make your own six-pack sounds great but I wonder how popular it will be. The only beer I usually ever see consumed in Uptown is Natural Ice!

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  15. Just another reason to abolish TIFs. Why should taxpayers subsidize the building of a grocery store on prime lakefront property? There's no food dessert on the North Side. We've got plenty of groceries, restaurants and gyms in the area.

    Roundy's has plenty of capital investment dollars available. Let them spend their own money if it's such a good idea.

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  16. I would be more happy with any business there as long as they don't use the TIF money.

    I think the property and the buildings should be rehabbed and a Magnet or Disney type school put in. What a great way to bring up the neighborhood. Maybe it could be the Oprah School for the Gifted!

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