Amazon is seeking to open a large retail space on the southwest corner of the busy 159th Street and LaGrange Road intersection in Orland Park, site of the former Petey’s II restaurant, village officials say.
The proposal includes demolishing the restaurant building that remains and constructing a one-floor, 229,000-square-foot commercial retail space and additional buildings on six outlot parcels to be added later, according to village reports. The project is slated for review Tuesday by the Plan Commission, and the Village Board may begin its discussion of the proposal later this month, Mayor Jim Dodge said Friday.
“We’re moving through the process quickly,” Dodge said.
He said the village has worked with Amazon to plan the development for several months.
Amazon’s proposal includes retail “of a wide selection of products, including groceries and general merchandise, with accessory services and potentially dining locations for prepared food sold on-site,” according to a special-use permit application.
Alongside the building would be 837 parking spaces and seven loading docks, according to the application. Amazon customers would be able to receive deliveries at the facility, and the site plan includes space for delivery drivers “to improve safety and meet the demands of modern online retail without sacrificing the in-store customer experience.”
Retail customers would enter through 159th Street, LaGrange Road or 161st Street while delivery drivers would enter through the south or west coming off of 161st Street and have a designated parking area south of the building.
Six acres would be dedicated to open and landscaped space, and Amazon plans to construct a stormwater detention area on the property, according to the plans.
The future of empty parcels near the 159th Street and LaGrange Road intersection has been a hot topic for the village, with the board moving forward with plans to relocate the gas station and add parking for the Costco at 9915 West 159th St. in September. Costco is funding construction of a roundabout on the property designed to help with traffic as the village continues developing the intersection.
On the southeast corner of the intersection, plans were submitted for 132 luxury apartments, a hotel and three restaurants in early 2024.
Dodge said developer interest for the 35-acre parcel has been high, with the village previously considering to zone it for mixed use including residential.
“It’s a prime spot to be developed,” Dodge said, and the mayor said he is “pleased to see it go commercial.”
But elevation changes and wetlands on the property mean extra hurdles.
Dodge said as development progresses, the village will consider financing options to move forward with plans to abate traffic by extending Ravinia Avenue east to connect to 161st Street, potentially rerouting 25% of the intersection’s eastbound right and northbound left-turning traffic. However, the Amazon facility could be completed before the road extension.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
