Itasca delays vote on new hotel and gas station development

A vote on a proposed development that would include a Holiday Inn Express, Thornton's gas station and restaurant in Itasca has been put on hold for a few more weeks.

A vote on the redevelopment on Rohlwing Road and Devon Avenue was pushed back until Sept. 8, after village trustees raised questions about the project.

Mayor Jeff Pruyn said changes in the proposal and vague timelines given by property owner Bridge Itasca require more time for consideration.

Representatives of Bridge Itasca and development partner Bluestone did not respond to requests for comment.

The original plan was for the simultaneous construction of the gas station and the hotel, but the property owners now are proposing the gas station be built next summer. There is no tentative date for that construction work and the hotel has no target date, village officials said.

Pruyn acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemic might have changed the plans, "but we wanted to understand what it happening."

The 8-acre property is the site of the former WBBM-780 AM radio tower.