- Local every day in
Car Dealer May Expand In Morton Grove At Kraft Site
Village announces it has begun discussions with the owner of McGrath Acura. Kraft is vacating the land, of which Morton Grove has 16 acres; a new tenant would bring tax revenue to School District 67.
The village of Morton Grove announced Tuesday that an auto dealership may move into the Kraft Foods site at the corner of Golf and Waukegan Roads.
Kraft Foods plans to vacate the property later the year, and developer Hamilton Partners has agreed to buy it,
Administrators at Golf School District 67 have expressed concern about the property sitting vacant, because the cash-strapped district derives tax revenue from the site. About 16 acres of the 57-acre parcel lie in Morton Grove; the rest is in Glenview.
According to a statement Tuesday from the village of Morton Grove, the village has begun tentative discussions with Gary McGrath, of McGrath Acura in Morton Grove, regarding the possibility of relocating another dealership to this site. No formal agreements have yet been signed.
“We’re excited about this opportunity, said Ryan Horne, the village administrator. "Not just for the possible sales tax, but for the benefit new construction will mean to the schools.
“It’s important to remember the majority of property taxes support our schools, and development at this site would directly benefit District 67.”
Like Niles-Morton Grove Patch on Facebook
Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.
sherwin dubren
4:29 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
Here is another under the table proposal that is not getting any exposure in the neighborhood papers including the village newspaper.
Do we really need more car dealerships on or near Waukegan Road? Mayor Staackman has a long association with car dealerships as a service rep and mechanic. He loves these car dealerships. The Kraft property is an ideal location
for restaurants or businesses other than auto parking lots. We have very little available space in Morton Grove for development, so why waste it?
sherwin dubren
6:45 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
I would like to add this lack of information about this project is even more disturbing since there were promises made after the garbage fiasco that this would not happen again.
Pat Craig
6:35 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
Right Sherwin, under the table not getting exposure... That's why it's here in the Patch, a media outlet... duh!
Maybe you should offer your expertise to Hamilton Partners who are developing the property and point out to them that they should look for a restaurant or unnamed "other businesses". I'm sure they would welcome your genius in marketing.
sherwin dubren
8:53 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2013
So happens I have in inquiry to Patch as to why I did not see it in their regular postings to me. I stumbled across it in a Facebook listing. As far as adequate coverage, I don't think enough people view Patch for this to be effective. What about the Morton Grove Champion, Bugle, and Village Newsletter? Besides, these negotiations began long before the posting on Patch. Duh Duh.
You must be anxious to get another car dealership in Morton Grove. After all, we have a slew of them on Waukegan Road, but there is always room for more. It doesn't take a genius to see this project is a waste of an optimal location for other
businesses. You are always complaining that we can't get more businesses because there is not enough land in Morton Grove for them to build on.
Turning Morton Grove into a big parking lot for cars is not my idea of where the village should be headed. The fault lies with our economic director who could not find better occupants for this attractive location.
Mike L
10:17 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
The village does not own this property, Hamilton Partners will. The village has no control over who Hamilton leases to. There are other ideas floating around currently, so maybe it will change a little in the future!
sherwin dubren
9:28 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
I never said the village owned the land. However, it is within the boundaries of Morton Grove, so the village has some control over what can come in. I think the mayor should ask for a hold on any negotiations until more inputs can be gathered from the residents, especially those that live nearby.
Is it asking too much to know what other ideas are floating around? This is our village, so we should have some say as to what comes in here.