A 24-unit residential development with a microbrewery, Italian restaurant, coffee shop and public plaza is planned for a village-owned property near the Morton Grove Metra station.
The Morton Grove Plan Commission on Feb. 21 voted 4-0 to recommend Village Board approval of several zoning measures in order to accommodate the development at 8500-8550 Lehigh Avenue, next to the Morton Grove Moose Lodge and across the street from the Metra stop.
The recommendation is slated to go before the Morton Grove Village Board for a first reading on March 14, followed by a final vote on March 28, said Zoe Heidorn, community development administrator for the village of Morton Grove.
The development, Heidorn explained, is the result of more than a year of talks between the village and a development team.
The developer has submitted an application for assistance through the village’s Tax Increment Financing District that covers the area, Heidorn said.
“Whether the project will be provided TIF assistance is to be determined,” she said.
A redevelopment agreement between the village and developer is expected, though no terms have been finalized, Heidorn told the plan commission.
Developer Greg Stec told the plan commission that 15 different development schemes were discussed with the village and that the project started out at seven stories tall before it was reduced to the current three stories.
The development will consist of two buildings, each containing 12 residential units that will be rented as apartments, Stec said. The building to the south will contain a microbrewery with restaurant and a coffee shop on the first floor, while the building to the north will contain a casual Italian restaurant with a cafe or event space, Stec said.
“We have three different microbreweries right now that want this spot,” he said.
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The Italian restaurant is envisioned to offer what Stec refers to as “Italian peasant food.”
“You get a lot of food for a good price and carry-out will be off the charts once the Metra people get back on the train,” he said. “I think this is going to be a grand slam development.”
Outdoor dining will be available during warmer months, plans show.
Stec denied that the Italian restaurant and microbrewery that are envisioned for the development will have a negative impact on the already established Moretti’s Restaurant to the north.
“I think it’s going to be a complement to Moretti’s. I don’t think we’re going to compete; we’re going to complement each other,” he said.
A “pedestrian plaza,” which Stec said will be available for use by the public, will be located between the buildings, which Stec anticipates will draw a mix of “empty nesters” and mainly childless millennials.
The development will contain 127 parking spaces behind the buildings, with 36 of them dedicated to residents of the apartments in three separate carports, the village said.
“We exceed the parking requirements in your code,” Stec noted.
One nearby resident expressed concerns about noise from outdoor revelers at the microbrewery, though it was noted that the number of people dining outside would be considerably lower than the 100 the resident suggested.
Outdoor dining will be limited to no later than midnight at the microbrewery and any events involving outdoor music will require permits from the village, Heidorn said.
The resident, Martin Bresler, also asked if odors from the microbrewery will be addressed and controlled.
“The odor of yeast being boiled to create beer is overwhelming,” he said.
The village of Morton Grove acquired the properties at 8500-8550 Lehigh Avenue between 2008 and 2010 and demolished the aging industrial and commercial buildings, but was ultimately unsuccessful in marketing the site for preferred developments, Heidorn said.
In 2020, the village sought requests for development proposals for the Lehigh properties that aligned with “the village’s vision for a pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented downtown.”
Last year, the village created a TIF District as a way to help revitalize the area and provide economic assistance to developers.