A pair of empty lots on 95th Street won’t stay that way much longer. The Palos Hills City Council has approved merging them for a new retail plaza project.

During the Oct. 16 Committee of the Whole meeting, Alderman Phillip Abed introduced the proposal to combine 8819 and 8825 W. 95th St. for a development by Tri-Star, which has been working on plans for nearly a year. 

The plaza would bring a modern, single-story building with 11 storefronts, each around 1,100 square feet.

Building Commissioner Tom Lesnicki said the developer has been waiting to finalize the lot consolidation before submitting detailed plans. “He’s waiting for bidders to come in,” Lesnicki said. “He’s already talking with a few potential franchisers.”

Each space will be about 1,100 square feet, and the site layout includes roughly 70 parking spaces. The requirement is about 74, so he’s pretty close.”

The new plaza will replace two long-vacant lots just west of 88th Avenue, where plans for commercial use have stalled several times in past years. 

Mayor Gerald Bennett said the project should help revitalize the area. “It’s a very modern, nice-looking building,” he said. “It’ll be a nice addition to the city.”

Lesnicki said construction might not begin until after winter as the developer waits for bids and final plan approval. He said that once the consolidation is recorded, Tri-Star can move ahead with permitting and start pre-leasing spaces.

Alderman Michael LeBarre asked if the development will be fully retail, and Lesnicki confirmed it would. Bennett agreed, calling the site “a definite upgrade” for a property that has sat vacant for years.

Bennett also mentioned that the city recently purchased the lot next to the dispatching center and plans to use part of it for additional parking while keeping the rest green. “It’s not going to be an expansion of the lot in front,” he said. “We’ll keep the frontage safe and grassy.”

Alderman Martin Kleefisch shifted the conversation to another project – the Plaza 103 development at 78th Avenue – asking for an update. Lesnicki said that one is nearly complete. “Yes,” he said, “pretty much completed – done.”

During the City Council meeting, Abed made the motion to approve the consolidation of the two lots, seconded by Alderman Michael Price. 

The council voted unanimously in favor.