Amazon could begin construction later this year on its first-ever big box retail superstore on the southwest corner of 159th Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park.
The village board voted 5-2 Monday night to approve plans for the giant retailer to construct a one-story, 231,200-square-foot retail brick-and-mortar building on 35 acres that once housed the former Petey’s II restaurant.
Prior to the board meeting, the village’s committee of the whole cast the same 5-2 vote to send it to the full board. Trustees Cindy Nelson-Katsenes and Bill Healy voted against the proposal at both the plan commission and the village board meetings.
Trustee Nelson-Katsenes said she voted against the plan because of the traffic congestion it is going to cause. “We are the voice of the residents,” she said. “We represent them. The village is getting too congested.”
The plan commission voted two weeks earlier to approve the plan and send it to the full board for a final vote.
Attempts to reach Amazon attorney Katie Jahnke-Dale were unsuccessful.
Amazon representatives have said that the store is a new concept designed to blend groceries with general merchandise and household essentials, putting Amazon in direct competition with major retailers like Target and Costco.
Coincidentally, there is a Costco several hundred feet west of where the new Amazon will be built. While primarily a retail space, the building will include a “limited warehouse component” to support on-site operations and local online order fulfillment, including dedicated space for delivery drivers.
Plans call for more than 800 parking spaces, seven loading docks and five additional outlot buildings for future commercial use.
Mayor Jim Dodge, who voted in favor of the development, said the project will create 200 construction jobs and 500 jobs once Amazon opens for business.
“Not only does this massive project create jobs, but it signals the strategic importance of the 159th Street corridor,” he said.
Dodge added: “The template was set in the 1870s when the land that was a pig farm was annexed and zoned for housing and eventually the (Orland Square Shopping) Mall. Now we have to make sure we keep Orland Park healthy and growing as a retail center.”
Some key features of the development include the new building being significantly larger than a standard Walmart Supercenter (179,000 square feet) and the store is a new concept designed to blend groceries with general merchandise and household essentials, putting Amazon in direct competition with major retailers like Target and Costco.
During a committee meeting prior to the board meeting, some residents spoke out both for and against the development.
One of those who supported the development was Dan McMillan, president of the Orland Park Chamber of Commerce. “A development like this will bring more people to Orland Park and that’s what our businesses want and our local economy needs. We want people to come to Orland to see all the great businesses we have here.
“And Amazon will do exactly that,” he said. “They will be one of the many reasons people from outside our village will want to come here. Our goal is for ALL our businesses to succeed.”
Resident Joe Solek asked the board to pause the (Amazon) development. “I know my request is futile but I just think this development is going to change the character of Orland Park.”
“Traffic is bad now and it’s just going to get worse,” he said. “Residents have asked to save the small town character of Orland Park. This isn’t the way to do that.”
Residents expressed confusion and concern over whether the site will function as a retail store or a large-scale distribution center. While Amazon calls it “retail,” some point out that a significant portion of the building is dedicated to “back-of-house” fulfillment operations.
Another concern is the diversion of traffic around the redevelopment area. Amazon is covering the cost of a majority of the road projects including extending Ravinia Avenue to connect to LaGrange Road. This is intended to act as a bypass, potentially diverting up to 25 percent of the intersection’s eastbound right and northbound left-turning traffic.
Plans also call for the installation of at least two new traffic signals: One at 161st Street and LaGrange Road and a signal replacement at 159th Street and 94th Avenue.
The developer will add dual left-turn lanes and new right-turn lanes at several approaches to improve vehicle flow. The development will also feature separate access points to keep retail customers and delivery vehicles on different paths, aiming to reduce congestion during peak shopping hours.
The village is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Cook County to review these access points and align them with broader regional traffic improvements.