Ald. Wynne, Developer Will Host Trader Joe's Meeting

Third Ward Alderman Melissa Wynne has scheduled a meeting for residents to discuss the new Trader Joe's planned for 1211 Chicago Avenue. Representatives from Terraco will be on hand to answer questions.

Can't get enough of the new Trader Joe's planned for 1211 Chicago Avenue? You can find out more details and preview the site plan at a community meeting planned for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31, at Chiaravalle Montessori School, 425 Dempster St. Hosted by Third Ward Alderman Melissa Wynne, the meeting will give residents a chance to express concerns and ask questions of city staff and Terraco, the developer of the site. Representatives from Terraco will also display the new site plan and the store's proposed design. The 13,000-square-foot store is expected to open in the spring of 2013 and will be Trader Joe's 14th Illinois location, according to a release from the company. Want more Trader Joe's news? Check out our past coverage:

• Photos (1)

Most-Commented Story of the Week: $2M For Trader Joe's Lot?

We polled readers on whether the city was right or wrong in spending $2 million to buy two lots for parking for a Trader Joe's planned on Chicago Ave. What do you think? Cast your vote and share your opinion in the comments.

Poll: Should Evanston Spend $2 Million For Trader Joe’s Lot?

The city council voted Monday to buy two lots on Chicago Avenue and lease them to the upscale supermarket chain for parking. Good or bad? We want to know what you think.

A deal to bring Trader Joe’s to Evanston moved forward Monday when the city council voted to spend $2.05 million for two properties adjacent to the store’s planned location on Chicago Avenue.  According to Triblocal Evanston, aldermen voted to spend $2.05 million from the city’s parking fund to purchase the two properties just north of 1211 Chicago Ave., where Trader Joe’s plans to open next year.  The city plans to build an 18,000-square foot, 78-space parking lot on the site, and hopes to generate enough revenue in taxes from the store to offset the purchase price within five years, Triblocal reports.  Earlier: Trader Joe's is Coming to Evanston Trader Joe’s is expected to open in the spring of 2013, just up the street from Jewel-Osco …

•  39 Comments
• Photos (3)

About Town

Signs of Economic Hope Are in the Air

You might have to look for them, but they're out there.

Driving through town last week, I felt a wave of optimism as I slowed my car for traffic rerouted due to the building construction on Ridge Avenue. Sounds crazy, right? We’ve been using words like recession and downturn and crisis for so long that it’s become a habit seeking out the shuttered businesses and empty lots around town; doing so verifies what we read and hear in the media. But what if we shift our perspective, even slightly, and notice the positive? I’m not talking about lush green grasses taking over abandoned properties. I’m not talking about colorful bulbs popping up earlier than ever to brighten our lawns. There’s real change going on all around us. You might have to look for it, but it’s there. And, is it just me, or do …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (3)

Christine Wolf

10:02 am on Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Victoria, I completely agree with you that business is business and rules are rules. While I'm not a business owner, I worked in advertising, where I learned the value of 2 critical aspects of business success: a) Keep your customers coming back and b) Spread the word. I may very well have been wrong to ask for my refill in a to go cup, but I've done it at other places -- LePeep in Evanston being…   more ›

About Town

City Manager Tackles Question: Why is the City Spending So Much Money

This is the third installment of Christine Wolf's conversation with City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz stemming from questions about a city-owned parking lot near Trader Joe's.

Editor's Note: This is the continuation of Christine Wolf's column from Monday where she sat down with City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz to discuss her concerns about the city paying to build parking near the new Trader Joe's. Yesterday, Bobkiewicz discussed how the arrival of Trader Joe's would effect other Chicago Avenue grocery businesses. Today, the discussion's focus is on other economic development initiatives in the city, particularly along Howard Street. From the amount of money, though, what I think a lot of people — especially a few aldermen I’ve spoken with — their big concern is 'The Money. The Money. The Money going out…' Between [this potential parking lot cost] and the Howard Street purchases ... they just want to stop the …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

About Town

Talk of Trader Joe's Parking During Coffee With Wally

City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz answers questions about the Trader Joe's parking lot proposal ... and other related issues.

When news broke that Trader Joe’s is coming to town, I couldn’t have been more excited. But a few weeks later, I learned the city is considering purchasing property adjacent to the proposed Trader Joe’s site at a cost of $2 million. Cue the screeching tires. I suppose it was a bit naive to think TJs would just set up shop without anything in it for them. Our droves of hopeful customers weren’t enough. Our nearby CTA and Metra stations weren’t enough. They also want a place for customers to park. Reasonable, but I’d figured when the announcement was made by Mayor Tisdahl about TJs coming to Evanston, the deal was done.   I mentioned my surprise and trepidation to my alderman, Don Wilson, but also added that I didn’t know how far the parking…

•  86 Comments
• Photos (1)

Empty In Evanston

What Should Move into the Old Osco Store?

The large space at Asbury and Oakton has been empty for years.

What would you like to see move into the empty space at the corner of Asbury Avenue and Oakton Street? Share your opinion in the comments section below. The space has been empty for more than five years since the Osco Drug that had occupied the space moved out. You can still see the outline of the drug store's sign on the front of the vacant building. When CVS acquired Osco, it decided that other nearby stores in its chain would serve the area and decided to close this store, explained Paul Zalmezak, Evanston's economic development coordinator. CVS is still paying the long-term lease on the spot, Zalmezak said. There are no active proposals to take over the property. Related: What should move into Evanston Plaza? Earlier this month, the …

•  28 Comments
• Photos (1)

Emily Stone

1:24 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Here's some follow-up info from the city on why filling this space is difficult. http://patch.com/A-r53L   more ›

Northwestern Thanked for Its Role in Trader Joe's Deal

Mayor acknowledges not thanking the school during the announcement last week.

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl today apologized to Northwestern University for not acknowledging earlier the role the school played in negotiating the deal that is bring Trader Joe's to town. “Northwestern President Schapiro is correct; Northwestern University did play an important role in bringing Trader Joe's to Evanston and should be thanked. I apologize for the omission and I am thanking Northwestern now,” Tisdahl said in a statement at 9 a.m. Tisdahl was reacting to an article in The Daily Northwestern in which university President Morton Schapiro said he was "surprised" not to have been thanked during last week's announcement about the store. Related: Trader Joe's is Coming to Evanston in 2013. In the article, Shapiro explained that the …

•  11 Comments
• Photos (1)

jim

6:33 pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2012

SAw council meeting think Monday. Deal is to costly to Evanston   more ›

Trader Joe's is Coming to Evanston

The store will move into the old Blockbuster space at 1211 Chicago Ave.

Trader Joe's will open a 13,000-square-foot store in Evanston early next year, the company announced today. This will be the first outpost of the popular grocery store in Evanston, and the 14th in the state. Judging by the comments on a recent story about what businesses people want to see move into Evanston Plaza, as well as the responses on Evanston Patch's Facebook page to the Trader Joe's announcement that are heavily laced with exclamation points, the news will be warmly received by residents. City officials expressed their delight as well. "I am thrilled that Trader Joe's has signed a lease and is scheduled to come to Evanston in the next year," Third Ward Alderman Melissa Wynne, whose district will house the new store, said in a …

•  17 Comments
• Photos (1)

Barbara Perkins

2:11 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012

Hey Fred, check out the police blotter for Winnetka and other northshore communities. I'm afraid you'll find more heinous crimes than the one's you list here for Evanston. The theft you mention here is called "shrinkage" and is experienced by every retailer in every community.   more ›

About Town

Why Does The City Need An Indoor Sports Facility?

Because it makes a whole lot of sense.

One of the topics at the September 19th City Council Meeting was the West Oakton Development Committee Report, addressing recommendations about what to do with the vacant, city-owned property formerly known as The Recycling Center at 2310 Oakton Street. The City Council minutes report the empty building “is a 13,000 square foot steel frame structure that formally operated as the Evanston Recycling Center. The Center closed in 2010 when operations were contracted to a third party.” The committee’s findings and recommendations can be found, beginning on page 63, in the 9/19/11 City Council Meeting Minutes, concluding with City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz’s recommendation (p. 91) to pursue commercial opportunities for the unoccupied space. …

•  22 Comments
• Videos (1)