The Morton Grove Village Board took a major step toward developing a prime piece of Dempster Street land with its preliminary approval on Monday night of a private/public agreement that could see a 10,000 square foot Moretti’s restaurant open in the village.
“It is going to be our flagship location,” Mark Hoffman, vice president of Ala Carte Entertainment, the company which owns Moretti’s and 27 other Chicago area restaurants told the board.
“If you give me the opportunity I promise you I will be the best partner you could possibly have,” Hoffman said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the redevelopment agreement that will see the restaurant built on village-owned vacant property in the 6400 block of Dempster Street, east of the Metra tracks, officials said. They said the establishment will accommodate approximately 350 patrons in three separate dining areas, a bar and an outdoor dining area
Officials said that the site is located in the village’s Lehigh/Ferris Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District. They said that TIF laws allow the village to enter into incentive agreements with potential business owners to redevelop vacant and underutilized properties and bring desired and needed services and business to the area.
The site was home to Maxwell’s Restaurant and Bar until about eight years ago and after it closed a developer announced plans to build condos on the site but those plans fell through, officials said.
Under the proposed Moretti’s agreement the village will sell vacant property to the owners of Moretti’s for $1.66 million, said Nancy Radzevich, community and economic development director with the village. She said Moretti’s will build and operate the development and said that once the restaurant is opened the owner will be allowed to use part of the new sales tax revenues generated by the business to pay off its debt to the village for the purchase of the land. She also said the project will put the property back on the tax rolls.
“We think there’s a lot of public benefit for this project,” Radzevich told the board. “It’s a redevelopment of prime two plus acres of commercial property right along Dempster Street.”
Village officials said the 10,000 square foot restaurant will be a family-friendly, casual dining establishment with dine-in, delivery and carryout options, a video gaming component, and private event and catering services. They said that if the redevelopment agreement is given final approval at the board’s Dec. 14 meeting the restaurant will open by early 2017.
“This is just a great night for Morton Grove,” said Dan DiMaria, board president and mayor. “This is one of Chicagoland’s biggest names.”
“I definitely would like to welcome you,” added trustee Rita Minx. “It’s a welcome addition to the village.”
But the development is not without detractors. Morton Grove real estate agent, Bill Luksha, was at the Monday night board meeting and he said he is not convinced the development as now proposed is right for the village. He said he is particularly concerned about the “video gaming” component of the project.
“We’re a pretty middle class village here, a family, children raising community,” he said. “Is this what people want?”
“There is some gaming in the village but do we need to expand that in Morton Grove on our premium street?” he added. “That’s a question. Maybe we should have a referendum on this. How needy is our village for more revenue?”
He also said he believes the village is selling the land at below market value.
“I think they should value the land and see what the square footage price should be,” Luksha said.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
