Tim Landis
The State Journal Register
The Hy-Vee supermarket is on schedule to open on MacArthur Boulevard mid-spring. Much of the work at the former Kmart site moved indoors before the snow and bitter cold that hit the region in the past week, said Ruth Comer, spokeswoman for the Iowa-based chain.
She said a store director likely would be named soon, followed by hiring. Hy-Vee is expected to hire about 400 employees. Comer said the company is not yet ready to release an opening date, “but it looks like mid-spring.” In addition to the supermarket, Hy-Vee is constructing an adjacent convenience store on the site of the old Spillway Lanes bowling alley.
The city has agreed to contribute $3.5 million from the MacArthur Boulevard tax increment financing district to the projects. The TIF includes both sides of MacArthur between Wabash and South Grand avenues. The Illinois Department of Transportation also has a study of boulevard improvements in the works for this spring, including ways to make the section between Wabash and South Grand Avenue more pedestrian friendly.
While construction is well along for Hy-Vee, there has been little sign of progress at the former Esquire theater building at MacArthur and South Grand. The Kmart and Esquire buildings were both vacated in 2003 and were an early focus of redevelopment efforts.
“There are regular inquiries (on the Esquire),” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose ward includes both sites. The Esquire, McMenamin noted, also is in the TIF district, though the initial TIF revenue has been committed to Hy-Vee. McMenamin said foot traffic and employees at Hy-Vee should help generate interest in the Esquire site.
AMC Theaters has owned the Esquire property since acquiring local theaters in 2010 from Kerasotes.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 