Demolition began Tuesday on the long-empty Bogart’s Charhouse in Homewood, which is being razed to make way for a new restaurant, according to Mayor Rich Hofeld.
Bogart’s, which had operated restaurants in Homewood and Tinley Park, closed the Homewood restaurant at 18225 Dixie Highway in August 2012.
Hofeld said the village acquired the property earlier this year through a no-cash bid with Cook County, an avenue for municipalities to pick up tax-delinquent properties that can be offered for reuse or redevelopment.
He said the building is in such poor condition that it could not be renovated in a cost-effective manner, and that a developer has plans to build a 12,000-square-foot restaurant on the property.
By the time the Homewood Bogart’s closed, the Tinley Park location had already been closed for a couple of years. It’s now the site of another restaurant, The Primal Cut Steakhouse, 17344 Oak Park Ave.
The Homewood property is in a tax increment financing district that can provide incentives for redevelopment. The district also includes other commercial properties north of the Bogart’s lot.
Just a few blocks to the northwest, demolition has been wrapped up on the Triumph building at the southwest corner of Ridge Road and Martin Avenue.
At that site, developer HCF Homewood plans to erect The Hartford, a four-story building that would include 36 apartments and commercial space on the ground floor.
The property is directly south of La Banque, a boutique hotel, and rooms on the second floor could be leased to the hotel for use as guest rooms, according to plans. Those rooms, however, could be converted to apartments.
The building will have commercial space on the ground floor, and Stoney Pointe Grill, which has a location in Mokena, plans to open its Northwoods-themed restaurant on the main level, according to plans.
Monthly rents are estimated to be $1,200 for a studio apartment, $1,500 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,650 for a two-bedroom unit, according to the developers.
Homewood’s Village Board in November 2019 endorsed a resolution supporting a property tax break for the property.
The county will, once the development is completed, assess it at 10% of fair market value rather than the 25% that commercial properties are assessed at for property taxes.
HCF’s principals are Robert Hansen and Tim Flanagan, and Hansen has developed other residential-commercial projects including The Boulevard at Central Station in Tinley Park.
With 165 apartment units, it is located at South Street and 67th Court, directly south of the Oak Park Avenue Metra station, and plans call for a restaurant on the ground-level floor.
More Top Picks Best Stereo Amplifiers For Bookshelf Speakers