News
(RRStar, Greg Stanley, Oct 31, 2013)-Plans to build the village’s only full-service grocery store continue to move forward.
The plat for a Meijer superstore at the corner of Illinois 173 and Perryville Road has been approved by the village and recorded by the county, giving the public its first look at exactly where the store will land.
The Meijer will be directly across the street from the OSF St. Anthony Center for Health and is expected to open in 2015.
Attracting a grocery store has been the village’s top development priority, said Tim Savage, village administrator.
“All signs are positive,” Savage said. “This has been a long time coming.”
Developer First Rockford Group plans to build out another 300,000 square feet of retail space around the Meijer, and the company is in talks with big- and medium-box stores to fill the site.
The corridor has already seen significant development with the expansion of Illinois 173 and the $200 million Woodward Inc. addition that’s underway a mile south of the Meijer site on Perryville Road.
“We’re thrilled with the work that’s going on and, even though Woodward is in Loves Park, we’re expecting to see renewed interest in housing in the area and an uptick in retail traffic, too,” Savage said.
Meijer officials plans to build two stores along Perryville at the same time. The other will go up in Rockford at the Rote Road intersection.
The stores will be identical in size, nearly 200,000 square feet, and each will feature attached gas stations.
They will target the same opening date in 2015.
