Rendering of new Aldi store in Bartlett, Ill. | Twitter/VillageofBartlett
Rendering of new Aldi store in Bartlett, Ill. | Twitter/VillageofBartlett
For nearly a decade, the village of Bartlett has been looking to attract another grocery store after losing one to closure at the end of 2013, leaving residents with a single shopping option within the village, and those efforts are now ready to payoff.
Village officials noted during their meeting, streamed on YouTube, that they have spent nine years offering incentives to attract another grocery store to the village, with Aldi showing the strongest interest to locate downtown. After efforts to rebrand the downtown area as the Streets of Bartlett last year, the chain’s interest seemed to heat up.
“Attracting a second grocery store to the village has been the top economic development priority for the past nine years, since Dominick’s Finer Foods closed,” Trustee Stephanie Gansey said during the meeting. “Staff has engaged with over a dozen, including Aldi, for many years in an effort to attract a store to town, culminating in a series of meetings and communications throughout 2022.”
Gansey laid out details of the agreement negotiated by the economic development team during the meeting, noting the team negotiated several incentives with Aldi to cement the deal, the village noted during the meeting it offered an infrastructure grant and tax rebate, providing a $250,000 site improvement grant to the chain, which usually spends from $700,000 to $800,000 to improve a site, costs that could now top $1 million with inflation. The village also is going to waive permit and zoning fees for the grocery chain, savings that could come to about $30,000.
The village also is proposing a 50% tax-sharing deal with the chain that could be in effect until $220,000 has been rebated to Aldi, a figure the village estimates could be reached by the third year of the deal.
The board learned during the meeting that Aldi would locate in a free-standing 19,500-square-foot building in the Streets of Bartlett area, and be near its corporate headquarters. It also would serve as a flagship for the chain’s corporate identity and would feature the latest building design being used by Aldi.
Aldi officials told council they would hope to start construction this year and be in operation by the end of the year, depending on supply chain issues. They noted the new store will include curbside pickup and other amenities.
Council voted unanimously to approve the economic incentive agreement.
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