Are you asking yourself "What is going on with the 2.93-acre vacant site at the corner of Cicero & Peterson?" Ask no more. Just read below for an update. Click here to find past updates. For detailed information on individual units and prices, follow this link: http://www.brdev.com/com-Sauganash.asp To view and/or download the "blueprints", please follow these eight links (Adobe Acrobat format) ---> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 _________________________________________________________________________ Alderman Laurino hosted a meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2004 at 7 PM at North Park Village (5801 N Pulaski) to discuss the development and to seek your input. For those of you who missed it, the following information was discussed: The development will contain a residential housing component (condominiums) and a retail component (Whole Foods). The entire development will contain 12,000 square feet of green space. After the residential units are sold, Imperial Realty will be managing the retail space and the 37 parking spaces mentioned below. Retail Component
The first floor is 40,000 square feet of retail (that Whole Foods will be leasing from Imperial Realty) that will be accessed along an entrance on Cicero Avenue, 240 feet north of Peterson Avenue. The retail component will have 169 parking spaces total. 132 of those parking spaces will be in the basement of Whole Foods (where shoppers can gain access to the store via an elevator). The remaining parking spaces, 37, will be accessible on the same level as the Whole Foods public entrance and will be available for both shoppers and condominium guests. The loading dock for Whole Foods will be out of view, along the Edens Expressway. Whole Foods will have large windows facing Cicero Avenue with awnings over them. The store will be set off around 6 feet on Cicero (plus the sidewalk) and 2 feet on Peterson (plus the sidewalk). Whole Foods plans on being open from 8 AM - 10 PM seven days a week. They will have one large truck delivering products every day and smaller trucks throughout each day. The most trucks coming in and out will either be from 7 AM - 8 AM or from 6 PM - 7 PM. Factoid: The closest Whole Foods the size of the one being built in Sauganash is in Willowbrook. Residential Components The residential component is broken up into two phases. Both phases will fall under "affordable housing" which is usually considered 80% - 100% of the average Cook County salary. They will be targeting the 98% bracket. According to the representatives of the developer, this means buyers with annual incomes up to about $57,000 for the one bedroom units and up to $80,000 for the three bedroom units. The two phases as follows: TIF units will comprise of 20% of each type of unit (size and location). TIF basics: there is a lien of TIF property for 30 years. Any amount of money that the TIF seller sells the property over the amount they purchased it for goes back to the TIF. This excludes a 3% COLA (cost of living adjustment). These units are not section 8 housing! Sizes of units: one bedroom - 900 square feet (around $159,000 for TIF purchasers and around $230,000 for non-TIF purchasers), two bedroom (around $196,000 for TIF purchasers and $317,000 for non-TIF purchasers), three bedroom - 1,600 square feet (around $252,000 for TIF purchasers and $365,000 for non-TIF purchasers). If the buyer wants, the developer is willing to sell combined units (i.e., you can purchase a one bedroom and a three bedroom adjacent to each other and have the wall separating the two units absent). Each unit will have either a balcony or a terrace. Residential Component Phase 1
This phase will be built on the corner and contain 61 condominium units and 89 parking spaces (the first parking space is deeded with the unit and additional parking spaces can be purchased for around $18,000 per space). The parking is underground is a secure, heated and enclosed garage that will be for residents only. They will be selling 20 one bedroom units, 37 two bedroom units and 4 three bedroom units. It will be 4 stories tall (3 full floors and a partial first floor) that will contain terraces and integrated planters. The lobby to that unit will be on the corner of Peterson & Cicero. There will be lighting on the face of the building. Residential Component Phase 2
This phase will be build north of Phase 1 and will contain 75 condominium units and will be 6 stories high. They will be selling 25 one bedroom units, 20 two bedroom units and 30 three bedroom units. There will be 107 parking spaces available for those units (the first parking space is deeded with the unit and additional parking spaces can be purchased for around $18,000 per space). Phase 2 will be accessible off of Cicero, north of the Whole Foods entrance. Traffic
Imperial Realty, the developers, hired an outside firm to do a traffic analysis and they came up with that there will be 230-250 trips during the peak hours. There will be two entrances on Cicero to the condominium / retail complex. From the December 12, 2004 "Reporter"
Cicero-Peterson project to bring streetscaping
by BRIAN NADIG
Streetscaping improvements, which could include decorative lighting and new sidewalks, are planned as part of the $60 million redevelopment project which will bring 136 condominiums and a Whole Foods grocery store to the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues.
City officials discussed the planned streetscaping, which will cover both sides of Cicero between Peterson Avenue and Glenlake Avenue, at the Dec. 3 meeting of the Sauganash Chamber of Commerce.
Merchants were shown renderings and pictures of ornamental lighting, banners, planters, hanging flower baskets, trash receptacles and benches which have been installed in other commercial areas. City Department of Planning and Development representative Denise Roman said that the department is working to determine which features would be appropriate for Sauganash.
The project is located in the Peterson-Cicero Tax Increment Financing District, which consists of vacant commercial parcels on the
west side of Cicero where a service station, a motel, a car wash and an office building were once located. The eastern boundary of the district is the sidewalk in front of the businesses on the east side of Cicero.
ALDERMAN Margaret Laurino (39th) said that an ordinance which calls for the redevelopment project to receive about $10 million in tax increment financing funds will be introduced at the Dec. 15 meeting of the City Council. The ordinance will be referred to the council Finance Committee.
Roman said that developer Brook-Ridge Development has agreed to pay for the streetscaping. The TIF funds will be used to offset other costs associated with the development.
Click here for TIF Information prepared by the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group (in Adobe Acrobat format) Laurino said that she will work with the chamber to find an alternate funding source for a possible streetscaping project in other parts of the commercial area, including the 4700 block of West Peterson and 6000 block of North Keating Avenue. From the January 27, 2005 Ground Breaking Ceremony 
The following people are in the group picture above (from left to right):
Pat Tarpey, SCOC Board Member
Susan Kelsey, SCOC Executive Director
John Sneed, SCOC Secretary
Jim Wozny, Brook-Ridge Development
David Schwatrz, Whole Foods
Joan Biebel, SCA President
Mary Lou Quinn, SCOC Vice President
Lynne Uhrik, SCOC President
Bob Smith, SCOC Board Member
Alderman Margaret Laurino, 39th Ward
Michael Faron, President of W.E. O'Neil Construction - Chicago
Bob Klairmont, SCOC Treasurer
Al Klairmont, SCOC Board Member
Ken Cunniff, SCA Past President
Glenn Nadig, SCOC Board Member
 
January 30, 2005
Cornerstone for area seen in Cicero-Peterson development
by ROBERT ELFINGER
Ground was broken Thursday for a residential and retail complex that officials say will be a cornerstone of the Sauganash community.
The development will be built on the vacant site at the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues, adjacent to the Edens Expressway. It will be an architecturally significant structure that will serve as the gateway intersection to the Sauganash and Edgebrook neighborhoods, said Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th).
"We've come a long way since a gas station and car wash," Laurino said. "This will be the cornerstone of our community."
The first phase of the development will feature a five-story mixed-use building containing a 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods grocery store and 61 condominium units, and the second phase will entail construction of a six-story building with 75 condominiums. The condominiums are expected to range in price from $240,000 to $356,0Q0, " and 20 percent of the units will be offered as affordable housing.
"We're incredibly excited about the location and the visibility from the Edens and the residents that will live on the site," said Whole Foods vice president of operations David Schwartz.
Schwartz feels the upscale store, which offers natural organic foods and a bakery, will fit well the community. It will be the 10th Whole Foods store in the Chicago area. "Sauganash is in the city but it isn't like the city," Schwartz said. "It's is a nice community with a lot of families."
The recently formed Sauganash Chamber of Commerce now will have an internationally known company as a member. "They'll strengthen the community and attract other businesses," said Sauganash Chamber president Lynne Uhrik. "It will definitely increase traffic and business activity."
Actual work on the site will begin in few weeks, and construction is expected to last 15 to 16 months, according to Bob Coorgan of WE O'Neil, the general contractor hired by Brook-Ridge Development.
Developer Jim Wozny, who grew up in Edgebrook and attended Saint Mary of the Woods School, said he is proud to be involved in the project. "It's good to come back to your old community where you grew up," he said.
Wozny said that only five condominiums remain unsold in the first phase and that there is a list of 200 customers interested in buying homes in the second phase. February-April 2005
Work finally to start at Cicero-Peterson
by ROBERT ELFINGER
Courtesy of The Reporter
After a series of delays, preliminary site work is slated to begin on a residential and retail development on the vacant site at the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues, adjacent to the Edens Expressway.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held in January, but complications with the financing agreement, which includes funds from a tax increment financing district created by the city, have delayed the start of work.
"We certainly thought that the closing would take place soon after the groundbreaking," Alderman Marge Laurino (39th) said. "The city wanted to know the developer had papers and financing in place before they started. We can't let the developer go ahead without the financing because we have invested money in this as well."
Laurino said that the good news is that all of the construction permits are in place and construction crews are itching to get started. "Well start preliminary site work on Monday," she said.
The development will feature architecturally significant structures that will transform the area into a gateway intersection at the Sauganash and Edgebrook neighborhoods, Laurino said.
Construction is expected to last 15 to 16 months, according to WE O'Neil, the general contractor hired by Brook-Ridge Development.
The site has remained vacant since September 9, 2001, when a gas station, the Edens Motel, the Edens Car Wash, an office building and the Polish National Alliance Fraternal Center were demolished to make way for development. May 10, 2005
Ground has been broken. The waiting list for phase 2 is 400 households for 65 units.
8 of the 11 units have been approved for affordable housing. Approval is based on income, not assets.
For the affordable housing units, the owner cannot realize profits on the sale of the unit until ownership of at least 20 years.
The Sauganash Chamber of Commerce has been provided $300,000 of the TIF money for beautification and improvements to the area is working on a plan on how to best use it. Further, next year, they are planning a time capsule to be incorporated into the foundation / landscaping of the area. Background information: $5.5 million was paid for the lot.
At that price, the land value is $100,000 per unit.
$20 million in tax incentives have been provided as part of the TIF. November 23, 2005
Whole Foods plans on opening its doors for business in September 2006. January 15, 2006 - The Reporter Residents hear plea to allow alcohol at store by DEIRDRE QUINN A Whole Foods Market spokesman made the case for lifting the prohibition of the sale of alcohol in the 15th Precinct of the 39th Ward to allow the company's new grocery store to sell beer and wine, while city officials discussed the process of lifting the ban on liquor sales in the precinct at a community forum held on Wednesday, Jan. 11. About 30 people attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) and the Sauganash Community Association, at North Shore Community Bank, 4343 W. Peterson Ave. David Schwartz spoke on behalf of Whole Foods Market, which plans to open a 40,000-square-foot grocery store in a large mixed-use building under construction at Cicero and Peterson avenues. Schwartz said that the company hopes to sell packaged beer and wine in the store, and also to sell drinks at a sushi bar and at a mixed grill area in the store, when it opens in the fall. "It's not a large part, but an important part of our business," Schwartz said about selling alcohol. "It's like an accessory for an outfit. It becomes such a minuscule accent, but it's such a nice feature for the customer." In order lift the prohibition, at least 25 percent of registered voters in the precinct must sign a petition in support of holding a referendum on the issue, according to Ralphette Rhodes of the city Law Department. After that, a simple majority must vote in the referendum in support of lifting the ban, she said. If a petition is filed, the referendum could be on the ballot for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, Rhodes said. She said that the process can be very simple or very lengthy, depending on whether or not there is opposition. If a precinct is voted wet, the entire precinct is wet unless a moratorium is placed on a certain area, said Rick Haymaker of the Mayor's Liquor License Commission. A moratorium typically covers a 2-block area in which liquor licenses cannot be issued, Haymaker said. He said that a cap also can be placed on the number of liquor licenses in a precinct. Several residents asked questions about the process, but few appeared to oppose Whole Foods being allowed to sell alcohol. However, some residents said they were concerned about a tavern being able to open in the precinct as a result of the referendum. Others said that those residents were acting "scared," and that a restaurant serving alcohol or a tavern could be welcome for an area that needs commerce as well as a place where residents can drink a glass of wine and walk home. The 15th Precinct is bounded by Peterson Avenue on the south, the Edens Expressway on the west and Devon Avenue on the north. Its eastern boundary, beginning at Peterson, runs north on Cicero, southeast on Hiawatha Avenue, northeast on Lemont Avenue, southeast on Ionia Avenue, northeast on Knox Avenue, northwest on Sauganash Avenue, northeast on Kilpatrick Avenue, west on Rosemont Avenue and north on Lemont Avenue to Devon. There are some commercially zoned areas on the west side of Cicero Avenue north of the development site, and also on the southwest corner of Cicero and Devon avenues, where the sale of liquor would become legal if a referendum were approved. Voters ended the ban on the sale of alcohol in downtown Edgebrook in a referendum which was approved in three precincts of the 41st and 45th wards in February of 2003. Proponents of lifting the ban argued that it was needed in order to attract restaurants to the Edgebrook shopping district, Devon and Central avenues. Since then one restaurant which serves alcohol, Moher, has opened in the area, while plans for another restaurant were put on hold after it was discovered that its proposed location, in the former Fannie May Candies store at the southwest corner of Devon and Central, is not in one of the three precincts where the referendum was held. Petitions in support of holding a referendum on the issue this fall cannot be passed until 4 months before the November election, Rhodes said. The petitions must be filed by Aug. 9, she said. Whole Foods is a retailer that sells organic and quality foods. It recently was listed as the 15th of the 100 "best companies to work for in America" by Fortune magazine, and it is the largest consumer of wind power in North America, Schwartz said. July 4, 2006
Front side (from the southwest corner)
Back side (from north on Cicero)July 16, 2006 Plan calls for brick, not concrete block
by BRIAN NADIG
The Reporter
July 16, 2006
The construction of a concrete block wall at the rear of the mixed-use development at Cicero and Peterson avenues where a Whole Foods grocery store and 136 condominiums are being built violated an agreement to use brick for the entire exterior of the building, according to Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th).
Laurino said that the city will tell the developer to replace the block with brick, which the planned development ordinance approved by the City Council for the project requires for all exterior walls. She said that Brook-Ridge Development could jeopardize up to $10 million in city subsidies for the project if the block is not replaced with the same brick which is being used for the rest of the five-story building.
The block wall is located at the southwest corner of the building, behind the grocery store and a second-floor parking garage, and it is visible from the Edens Expressway and Peterson Avenue. The blocks used for the wall are known as split-face or fluted block because they are created with a textured front surface.
One resident said that he was surprised to see the block wall when he drove by the site after city officials had touted the project as a "gateway to the community." Laurino said the city apparently issued a permit for the block by mistake but that the developer is responsible for adhering to the planned development agreement.
The Whole Foods store and 61 condominiums are being built in the first phase of the project. The second phase will feature a six-story building with 75 condominiums at the north end of the 2.9-acre site, where a motel, a service station and an office building were torn down.
July 30, 2006 Sauganash, Edgebrook liquor referenda sought
by BRIAN NADIG
A petition drive for a referendum to allow liquor to be sold in a Sauganash precinct where a Whole Foods is opening has been completed, and another aimed at allowing liquor to be served at a restaurant in Edgebrook is starting this weekend.
Petition circulators have collected about double the number of signatures required under state law to have a referendum on whether to lift the prohibition on the sale of alcohol in the 15th Precinct of the 39th Ward placed on the ballot. A total of 116 signatures, or 25 percent of the registered voters in the precinct as of November of 2004, were needed to place the referendum on the ballot for the Nov. 7 election.
Residents formed a group called Neighbors In Support of Whole Foods which contracted with Vantage Point Marketing to conduct the petition drive. Vantage paid and trained the petition circula-tors, some of whom were area residents.
Vantage president Manuel Gal-van said that about 75 percent of the voters who were contacted agreed to sign the petition. He said that some residents said that they were too busy to discuss the issue and that others said that they oppose the sale of alcohol for religious reasons.
WHOLE FOODS will open a 40,000-square-foot store in a development which also will have 136 condominium units and which is under construction at the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues. The chain wants to sell packaged wine and beer in the grocery store and also to serve drinks at a sushi bar.
The petitions are being reviewed by lawyers and notarized before being submitted to the City Clerk's Office by the Aug. 9 deadline, Galvan said. A simple majority vote would be required to approve the referendum this fall.
The 15th Precinct is bounded by Peterson Avenue on the south, the Edens Expressway on the west and Devon Avenue on the north. Its eastern boundary, beginning at Peterson, runs north on Cicero Avenue, southeast on Hiawatha Avenue, northeast on Lemont Avenue, southeast on Ionia Avenue, northeast on Knox Avenue, northwest on Sauganash Avenue, northeast on Kilpatrick Avenue, west of Rosemont Avenue and north on Lemont to Devon.
There are some commercially zoned areas on the west side of Cicero Avenue north of the Whole Foods site and at the southwest corner of Cicero and Devon avenues where the sale of liquor would become legal if the referendum were approved.
August 17, 2006
'Wet' vote petitions turned in
BY ALAN SCHMIDT | STAFF WRITER
EDISON-NORWOOD TIMES REVIEW
aschmidt@pioneerlocal.com
Voters in one 39th Ward precinct could be asked to decide whether they want those precincts to stay "dry" -- where it's illegal to sell alcohol -- when they go to the polls Nov. 7 or if they want them to go "wet."
Proponents for a "wet" vote in the 15th Precinct of the 39th Ward turned in their petitions in support of putting a local option referendum on the ballot into the City Clerk's Office by the Aug. 9 deadline. In general, they were required to collect the signatures of at least 25 percent of the registered voters in each precinct. In two of the Norwood Park precincts, volunteers only had to concentrate on getting signatures of a quarter of the voters living in the areas that are currently dry.
Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for the City Clerk's Office, said 206 signatures were turned in for the 39th Ward precinct. He said that number was unofficial because the individual signatures still had to be verified against existing voter rolls and signature files.
The petitions could be nullified in two ways. Signatories have until Aug. 29 to revoke their signatures if they have second thoughts. Also, there is an Oct. 10 deadline for opponents to file a suit in Cook County Circuit Court contesting the validity of the petitions. Voters would see the individual ballot question in their precincts if enough signatures remain viable at the end.
The future opening of a Whole Foods World Market at the corner of Peterson and Cicero avenues sparked the petition drive in the 39th Ward. November 12, 2006
(Excerpted from) NW Side residents vote to lift liquor prohibition
BY BRIAN NADIG
REPORTER & JOURNAL | NADIG NEWSPAPERS SAUGANASH residents lifted the prohibition on the sale of liquor in the 15th Precinct of the 39th Ward by a vote of 132-74. The referendum drive was led by residents who support allowing alcohol to be sold at the Whole Foods grocery store which is under construction at Cicero and Peterson avenues.
A group of residents calling themselves Neighbors In Support of Whole Foods contracted with Vantage Point Marketing, which trained petition circulators who collected the required number of signatures to get the referendum placed on the ballot. Vantage Point president Manuel Galvan said that fliers bearing the pictures of prominent residents and their statements in favor of lifting prohibition were distributed to registered voters in the area before the election. Whole Foods initiated the effort so it can sell packaged wine and beer and serve drinks at the store's sushi bar.
The precinct also contains several commercial properties on Cicero between Peterson and Devon Avenue. February 21, 2007
Whole Foods opens its doors to the general public. July 23, 2007 Lakeside Bank forecloses on Sauganash condo projectBy Thomas A. Corfman (Crain’s) — Lakeside Bank has filed a foreclosure lawsuit to collect nearly $14 million on a past-due construction loan for a Whole Foods Inc.-anchored retail/condominium project along the Edens Expressway on the Northwest Side. Construction is already completed on the first phase of the project, called Sauganash Place and located at Peterson and Cicero Avenues. The five-story, 61-unit building that includes ground-floor space leased to the trendy Austin, Texas-based grocer opened earlier this year. But financial difficulties have apparently prevented work to begin on a proposed second phase — a six-story, 76-unit building immediately to the north of the completed building at 6000 N. Cicero Ave. The lawsuit names as a defendant James Wozny, president of Dundee-based Brook-Ridge Development Inc., who personally guaranteed the loan, according to the complaint which was filed earlier this month in Cook County Circuit Court. Mr. Wozny did not return calls requesting comment. John Turner, a Chicago attorney representing the bank, declines comment. The Lakeside loan, which financed the first phase of the project, at one point had a balance of more than $32 million, but has been paid down, according to the complaint. The loan matured on March 1, the complaint says. The status of the project’s condo sales could not be determined, but the foreclosure lawsuit comes at a time when the Chicago-area market for new homes, including condos, is in the midst of precipitous decline. The project has hit the financial skids despite receiving a city subsidy that offset some costs, including the development’s below-ground parking garage. In 2005, the city agreed to help finance the project by providing a tax-increment financing grant of $5 million for the first stage and $5.3 million for the second stage. Even the sale earlier this year of the 40,405-square-foot Whole Foods retail space, for $11.6 million, or nearly $300 a square foot, wasn’t enough to stave off foreclosure. The buyer was a venture affiliated with Hinsdale-based Partnership Concepts Realty Management Inc. Another Partnership Concepts venture helped finance the project with a $3.6 million mezzanine loan in 2005, property records show. H. Bruce McClaren, an executive with Partnership Concepts, did not return a call requesting comment. But the sale price of the retail space alone nearly matched the $12.6 million purchase price for the entire site, including closing expenses, according to the redevelopment agreement with the city. In addition to slow sales, Brook-Ridge may not have had a firm handle on construction costs, which have risen rapidly. In 2005, the budget for the second phase of the project included $13.7 million for so-called “hard costs,” the bricks-and-mortar expenses of construction, according to the redevelopment agreement. But those costs climbed nearly one-third to $18.2 million by February 2006 when Chicago–based W.E. O’Neil Construction Co. agreed to build that phase, according to a property document. | |
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