JEFFERSON PARK — The former home of Noodles restaurant, 5956 W. Higgins Ave., is back on the market after sitting vacant for nearly a decade, according to brokers.
The bar and restaurant shut its doors at the corner of Higgins Avenue and Austin Avenue in 2008, after a kitchen fire left it severely damaged.
But the 3,600 square-foot building has since been gutted and renovated with new drywall and flooring, and in November it was listed for rent at $5,000 per month, according to Zbigniew Piechocki, a broker with Troy Realty.
The agency is also entertaining offers to buy the buiding, Piechocki added.
"It's a perfect place for whatever the next restaurant is that comes along," Piechocki said. "Or maybe even some other kind of small development, like retail or a bank."
No developer has put forward a serious proposal for the building in the five years that Ald. John Arena (45th) has presided over the area, according to Owen Brugh, Arena's chief of staff.
The one-story brick building is "frankly an eyesore, and there's been some illegal and unsavory activity going on there over the years," Brugh said. "We're certainly happy to see it go to market. ... It's a high-traffic area, there's a lot of potential there."
Other inhabitants of the busy intersection include a 7-Eleven, a three-story apartment building and a Mobil station adjoining a Dunkin Donuts.
The 11,000 square-foot lot is already zoned for business, meaning that a retail or food operation could move in without additional approvals from the city.
Still, if a new owner does request a zoning change, Arena will hold public meetings before making any decisions, Brugh said.
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