EDGEWATER — Construction is underway on a new strip mall at 5206 N. Broadway that is slated to open in the spring.
The 20,000-square-foot shopping center, which was developed by Chody Real Estate, will be home to a PetSmart and Chipotle along with two to three other retailers.
“We’ve had conversations with many retailers, both neighborhood and national businesses,” a developer from Chody Real Estate said Monday.
The retail development in Edgewater just north of Uptown comes more than a year after Trader Joe’s pulled out of late-stage talks with Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) and developers to build in the location. Sara Dinges, a spokeswoman for Osterman, said many residents wanted Trader Joe’s to move into the neighborhood, but have received the new construction plan “pretty well.”
Dinges said it was “extremely important” to the alderman to make the shopping center aesthetically appealing, with “a lot of landscaping” and outdoor seating.
“There were a lot of conversations about making it as pedestrian-oriented as possible,” Dinges said.
The developer said there was space for two to three more retailers to move in. Dinges said Osterman has brought a few local businesses to the developer as possible tenants, but no deals have been finalized.
“Local businesses are the backbone of our community,” Dinges said.
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