‘I can’t wait’: Des Plaines City Council approves incentives, development deal for new downtown restaurant
The Des Plaines City Council this week enthusiastically approved a multimillion-dollar economic incentive and development agreement that will lead to a new downtown restaurant.
As part of the plan, the brick building at 1575 Ellinwood St. that once housed Oliveti’s Italian Ristorante will be knocked down and something new will be constructed on the site. The proposed two-story building will be anchored by an 8,200-square-foot restaurant on the ground floor and have apartments upstairs.
Aldermen on Monday unanimously agreed to lend the two limited liability companies behind the project — Miner Street Station and D-4 of Des Plaines — $3.6 million to help pay for construction. Up to $1.2 million of the loan will be forgiven when the final occupancy certificate for the restaurant is issued, documents indicate.
Ownership partners include the operator of Park Ridge’s Harp and Fiddle restaurant. Although “Harp & Fiddle” appear on an architectural rendering for the proposed building, the name and theme of the proposed eatery haven’t been revealed.
Located in the 2nd Ward, Oliveti’s had served customers for 20 years before closing in 2012. To maintain a link to the site’s past, some bricks from the old building will be used to construct the new restaurant, officials said.
The deal took more than six months to put together, Mayor Andrew Goczkowski said.
The permit application and approval process, demolition and construction could take 18 months, said Jeff Rogers, the city’s community and economic development director.
Before the council’s vote, several aldermen praised the agreement and the restaurant plans. Second Ward Alderman Colt Moylan said the project is helping to transform the downtown area south of Miner Street.
“This is a pretty exciting time,” Moylan said.
The 3rd Ward’s Sean Oskerka called the incentives a “creative way of bringing a new, exciting business to downtown.”
“I can’t wait,” Oskerka said.