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Retail Leader Breaks Ground
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Karen Haave
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New Lenox Community Reporter
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October 16, 2008
Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers: Your new store is on the way. Ditto, if you also like Menards.
A groundbreaking ceremony on a cold, damp morning culminated 10 years of negotiations, planning sessions and meetings last week, to the delight of New Lenox officials and the thousands of shoppers who soon will have a 450,000-square-foot retail center in the heart of town.
New Lenox Town Center will be the largest retail center in the village. The development is slated to open in spring 2010 at U.S. Route 30, near Williams Street. It will feature a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Menards home improvement store, junior box in-line space and shop space for various restaurant and retail uses."
The project includes "generous donations" from McVickers Development, LLC, according to New Lenox Mayor Tim Balderman.
Balderman noted that U.S. Route 30, now only two lanes at that site, will be widened to a total of seven lanes next year to accommodate the additional traffic anticipated with the opening of the shopping center. Those improvements, totalling some $5 million, are being funded by McVickers.
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At the same time, the developer presented the village with a check for $100,000 for traffic signals at Route 30 and Prairie Street, near the fire station.
"The developers have been very generous," Balderman said after the ceremony, which included comments from Village Administrator Russ Loebe; John McVickers, president of McVickers Development; Theron Berg, manager of acquisitions and dispositions for Menards; and John Bisio, Wal-Mart public affairs director.
Also present were State Representative Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox); Tom Weigel, District 2 Will County Board; Randall Lowman, from the Village of New Lenox; and village trustees.
"Many thought this day would never come," the mayor said during the ceremony, "but I would like to take this opportunity to personally welcome Wal-Mart and Menards to our community.
"I'd like to recognize the efforts of Russ Loebe and Randall Lowman and the entire (village) team for their diligent efforts to make today a reality.
"This shopping center will not only create new jobs and provide significant new tax revenues for our village and Will County, it will create additional economic development by attracting other mid-sized tenants, restaurants and in-line shops to our community.
"This development is very much about creation of jobs, economic development, and road and infrastructure improvements," he emphasized.
"This is a big project in our town. It's been 10 years and it's finally coming to fruition."
"People are going to be so excited to drive down Route 30 and see that sign: 'Wal-Mart.'"
The project also is good for the school, fire and library districts, he added, because it will generate over three-quarters of a million in property tax revenues for them, without requiring them to provide new facilities.
John Bisio, Wal-Mart's director of public affairs, estimated that the new shopping center will generate 250 to 300 new jobs, and noted that 75 percent of Wal-Mart's staff earns at least $12 an hour.
McVickers, in his remarks, acknowledged that the development has been a long time in the making.
"If there is one word that I would use to describe this project, it would be 'perseverence.' We spent a lot of time on this project," he said.
Village officials said that New Lenox Town Center "has been developed in a thoughtful manner, drawing on community standards and sustainable development practices required by the planning commissioners, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The improvement of the Hickory Creek Water Shed is an element of the project of which the developer is particularly proud.
McVickers Development will begin construction on 85,000 square feet of in-line retail space, as well as 22,000 square feet of retail shop space in spring of 2009, with tenants opening for business in spring of 2010. In addition, the development team will be improving a stretch of Route 30 from Williams Street through the Marley Road intersection that will provide much needed traffic relief to village residents. That effort is being coordinated with a village-sponsored IDOT project that will stretch regionally, from New Lenox to Mokena and Frankfort.
"Developing the New Lenox Town Center has been a very positive experience for the McVickers team. Menards and Wal-Mart will bring much appreciated shopping opportunities and resources to the village and will inspire continued prosperity," said McVickers. 'We have enjoyed working with Mayor Baldermann, the village staff and the professional teams from Wal-Mart and Menards in bringing this project to fruition."
The 176,400-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter will reflect the appealing new Wall-Mart construction prototype and will combine full grocery lines and general merchandise under one roof at Wal-Mart's signature Every Day Low Prices. "We believe this new Supercenter will provide our New Lenox customers the opportunity to save money and live better with local shopping convenience, flexibility and the opportunities a Wal-Mart Supercenter provides," said Bisio. "The construction of our store will commence in the spring of 2009, and we anticipate the store opening in spring 2010. We estimate a workforce of between 250 and 300."
Menards will construct its largest prototype store and will feature its full line of home improvement products. "Menards is happy that we are coming to New Lenox with our largest and most complete 240,000-square-foot Mega Store, which will allow us to provide our guests with all of their home improvement needs," said Berg. "We look forward to getting started and opening to serve our guests!"
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