Norridge officials have approved preliminary plans for a Miller’s Ale House and an AMC theater to open on the property occupied by the former Norridge theater building.
The plan could bring in sales tax dollars from a sprawling piece of commercial property along Harlem Avenue’s retail corridor that has sat vacant for the better part of a decade,
The Norridge Village Board on May 11 approved a request for a planned unit development for the adjoining properties at 4510-4520 and 4474 N. Harlem Ave. The approval follows a May 2 recommendation from the zoning board of appeals to allow real estate developers Harlem Irving Companies and Hamilton Partners to redevelop the property for a variety of commercial uses.
The joint venture, operating under the name HAMHIC LLC, is still pending the sale of the parcel of land from Hudson City Bancorp Inc., the New Jersey-based bank that owns the lot.
The property — which includes the empty parking lot where the now-demolished Maurice Lenell cookie factory once stood, and the 58,000-square-foot Loews movie theater building (known to locals as the Norridge theater) — was listed for $15 million, according to Paul Barile of Transwestern, the Chicago-based brokerage firm managing the sale. The final sale price is still unknown, pending private negotiations with the buyers.
Plans submitted to the village by Harlem Irving Companies and Hamilton Partners show a 7,800-square-foot Miller’s Ale House, an Orlando, Fla.-based chain described on the company’s website as a “casual neighborhood tavern” with steak, seafood, wings, and a full-service bar with more than 75 beers, as well as wine and liquor.
A liquor license and a permit to host video gaming and an outdoor patio were also included in the planned unit development application.
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A call to the real estate development division of the corporate office for Miller’s Ale House was not returned this week, but Norridge’s building commissioner, Brian Gaseor, said the company plans to open on the former cookie factory lot sometime next year, with construction starting in the fall.
Additional retailers, which are still unconfirmed, are expected to occupy the rest of the property. That parcel includes several empty storefronts in the half-empty retail center occupied by Go Bananas amusement center and JoAnn Fabrics at 4510-4520 N. Harlem Ave., in addition to the theater building.
According to plans submitted by the developers, the former Norridge theater building would be divided into separate uses, with the western half repurposed as a movie theater with six screens and 854 seats, along with an adjoining restaurant serving alcoholic beverages and food to moviegoers.
The vacant parking lot in the front, which is now overgrown with weeds and covered in cracked pavement, would be rehabilitated. The areas surrounding the property would be manicured with new landscaping.
Norridge Mayor James Chmura has said the developers have been in talks with AMC for branding the theater, but nothing has been confirmed according to a spokesperson for AMC. Chmura has said the village invited the idea of a new theater opening on the property because of an extra entertainment tax it would add to local revenue.
A separate retail development is planned for the eastern half of the theater building, but the developers haven’t provided specifics yet. The empty storefronts in the Go Bananas/JoAnn Fabrics complex would also be filled with new retailers, according to village attorney Joan Cherry.
“There are a lot of different parts involved in the process,” Cherry said. “The (planned unit developments) were approved contingent on the sale of the property.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.