Amazon plans big-box retail store in Chicago suburb

Amazon has proposed a one-story, 229,000-square-foot retail center in Orland Park, Illinois, and the Orland Park Plan Commission approved the plan; the village board is scheduled to vote on Jan. 19.

Amazon has submitted plans for a large-format retail store on a 35-acre site in Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago. The proposed one-story building would total about 229,000 square feet and combine grocery, household and general merchandise offerings with a limited warehouse component. Planning documents say the site would include space for delivery drivers to pick up orders. The Orland Park Plan Commission approved the proposal and the village board is scheduled to vote on Jan. 19. Key details: - Proposed building size is about 229,000 square feet, larger than the typical U.S. Walmart Supercenter average cited at roughly 179,000 square feet. - The development would sell groceries, prepared foods, household essentials and general merchandise, according to planning materials. - Plans include a limited warehouse area to support on-site operations and space for delivery drivers to pick up orders. - The Plan Commission voted in favor of the proposal (reported as a 6-1 vote by local reporting) and the full village board will consider it on Jan. 19. - The site would replace Petey's II restaurant, which closed in January 2024, and sits at the corner of two major highways near other national retailers such as Target, Costco and Trader Joe's. - Some local residents have expressed concerns about potential traffic impacts around the proposed development, according to local reporting. Summary: The proposal would create a very large Amazon-operated retail location that combines in-store shopping and on-site fulfillment features, and it moves through Orland Park's local approval process. The next formal step is a vote by the full village board on Jan. 19.