PORTAGE PARK — A proposal to open Portage Park's first Starbucks advanced Monday, winning the endorsement of a City Council committee along with the support of Ald. John Arena (45th).
The council's Committee on Zoning, Landmark and Building Standards unanimously approved the proposal to transform Family Fruit Market's overflow parking lot at 4151 N. Cicero Ave. into a Starbucks with not only a drive-thru but also an inside seating area, 15 parking spots and an expanded patio.
Family Fruit Market — beloved by many Far Northwest Side residents for its guacamole and fresh salsa — closed at the end of May after 24 years.
The proposal won support from some Portage Park residents at a community meeting May 26, while others objected to the drive thru, saying they were concerned it will snarl traffic in the Six Corners Shopping District.
The committee approved the developer's request to allow a commercial building to be built on the property near Berteau and Cicero avenues that is now earmarked for single-family homes. That decision must be approved by the full council, which next meets Wednesday.
In addition, the city's Zoning Board of Appeals must approve a special-use permit for the drive-thru.
While a site plan was unveiled at the community meeting, Owen Brugh, Arena's chief of staff, said efforts were underway to revise how traffic would travel through the nearly 20,000-square-foot property.
"We're working on site layout to protect the neighbors and ensure good flow through the site," Brugh said.
Arena has been working since he was first elected in 2011 to reverse more than two decades of stagnation at Six Corners, which was once known as the city's premiere shopping destination outside the Loop.
A Starbucks will help change Six Corners' reputation as a place to get through rather than a place to stop or a destination, Arena said at the community meeting.
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