News - pcgazette.com

News

Walgreens targets Park Ridge

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
A Walgreens store may be coming to the village of Park Ridge.

On Monday, Aug. 20, The Park Ridge Village Board accepted a "memo of understanding" from GNI Development Co. Inc. of Rockford, Ill., for the development of a new Walgreens store while the existing Park Ridge Pharmacy in the Sunset Plaza building remains in operation.

The proposed 105-by-138-foot store would have 14,490 square feet and face the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Park Ridge Drive (Highway 10). The store would be built in the parking lot south of the Plaza building and on the site of Les' Upholstery and Cornerstone Catholic Books & Gifts, 10 Park Ridge Drive.

A small portion of the Sunset Plaza straddles the proposed property line of the Walgreens development, and the board needed to act to allow the owners of the Sunset Plaza building and their tenants to operate under a temporary certificate of occupancy until Sept. 1, 2002.

The portion of the Plaza building housing the pharmacy will then be vacated and demolished. The remaining section of the Plaza building will be remodeled.

Under the "memo of understanding," the village agrees not to pursue an enforcement action "with respect to any violation of an applicable ordinance caused by the straddling of the proposed property line during said period."

"It's a one-year deal," Park Ridge Village President Tom Gloudemans said about the "memo of understanding," adding that the proposal is still indefinite because not all aspects of the deal have been completed.

"It looks like it's likely," he said. "We still have to wait to see the truck moving dirt." The development would be a benefit to the village, he said. "It's a good thing for the neighbors in the area."

Steve Murphy of GNI said the firm has built about 60 stores for Walgreens in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan during the last several years, adding that the firm has built all the Walgreen stores in Wisconsin except those in Madison and Milwaukee.

He said GNI has moved forward with buying the Plaza building, which will then be swapped with the Les' Upholstery-Cornerstone building.

Construction should start yet this construction season in late October, Murphy said, and should be completed by the end of May 2002.

"As far as we're concerned, everything is going along as proposed," said Les Koch of Les' Upholstery. He said the upholstery shop and Cornerstone will move into the Plaza building, which will be developed into a mini-mall with seven stores.

Park Ridge Pharmacy is the last of the locally-owned pharmacy/drug stores in Portage County and used to be the Holt Drug Store. Earlier this year, Roska Pharmacy, 2235 Church St., closed its doors.



	Walgreens targets Park Ridge By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette A Walgreens store may be coming to the village of Park Ridge. On Monday, Aug. 20, The Park Ridge Village Board accepted a "memo of understanding" from GNI Development Co. Inc. of Rockford, Ill., for the development of a new Walgreens store while the existing Park Ridge Pharmacy in the Sunset Plaza building remains in operation. The proposed 105-by-138-foot store would have 14,490 square feet and face the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Park Ridge Drive (Highway 10). The store would be built in the parking lot south of the Plaza building and on the site of Les' Upholstery and Cornerstone Catholic Books & Gifts, 10 Park Ridge Drive. A small portion of the Sunset Plaza straddles the proposed property line of the Walgreens development, and the board needed to act to allow the owners of the Sunset Plaza building and their tenants to operate under a temporary certificate of occupancy until Sept. 1, 2002. The portion of the Plaza building housing the pharmacy will then be vacated and demolished. The remaining section of the Plaza building will be remodeled. Under the "memo of understanding," the village agrees not to pursue an enforcement action "with respect to any violation of an applicable ordinance caused by the straddling of the proposed property line during said period." "It's a one-year deal," Park Ridge Village President Tom Gloudemans said about the "memo of understanding," adding that the proposal is still indefinite because not all aspects of the deal have been completed. "It looks like it's likely," he said. "We still have to wait to see the truck moving dirt." The development would be a benefit to the village, he said. "It's a good thing for the neighbors in the area." Steve Murphy of GNI said the firm has built about 60 stores for Walgreens in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan during the last several years, adding that the firm has built all the Walgreen stores in Wisconsin except those in Madison and Milwaukee. He said GNI has moved forward with buying the Plaza building, which will then be swapped with the Les' Upholstery-Cornerstone building. Construction should start yet this construction season in late October, Murphy said, and should be completed by the end of May 2002. "As far as we're concerned, everything is going along as proposed," said Les Koch of Les' Upholstery. He said the upholstery shop and Cornerstone will move into the Plaza building, which will be developed into a mini-mall with seven stores. Park Ridge Pharmacy is the last of the locally-owned pharmacy/drug stores in Portage County and used to be the Holt Drug Store. Earlier this year, Roska Pharmacy, 2235 Church St., closed its doors.