Joe Donut is coming to Morton Grove and bringing new residences with him.
The Village Board voted unanimously March 28 to grant a special use permit to allow Nick Philippas, owner and operator of Joe Donut, to build a two-story mixed-use building on the former site of the Lochner Greenhouse at 6724 Dempster St., slightly west of the railroad tracks.
Philippas plans to open a Joe Donut shop in one of five commercial spaces on the first floor, Trustee Janine Witko said. The second floor will contain six residential apartments.
“It’s going to be very exciting to have this as part of the village,” she said. “We’re very proud of the redevelopment of that special spot. It’s a good location. It was a legacy family-owned piece of land. We’re excited to bring it back to life.”
The special use was required because the project is a mixed-use development and will feature a drive-through restaurant in one of the commercial spaces on the 1.1-acre site, Witko said.
Both the Plan Commission and Traffic Safety Commission unanimously recommended the project for approval, she said.
Witko said she was not certain of the timeline for construction and when Joe Donut might open.
Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said the former Lochner Greenhouse property has been vacant for about 10 years.
“We’re pretty excited about the project coming in,” Czerwinski said. “The Plan Commission and staff worked together to put together a good project for the village.”
Czerwinski said Morton Grove spent more than six months negotiating the proposal with Philippas.
“We’ve been interacting on this for many months,” he said. “Different opportunities were interested in the site. This is the most rewarding and will be the best use of the site. It’s a win for the developer and a win for the community.”
The building property is zoned for general commercial use, according to a March 5 report from the Community and Economic Development Department. The Plan Commission recommended the project for approval after a Feb. 20 public hearing.
Residents will access the second floor via stairwells on the north side of the building and in the southeast corner, the report said. The roof for the drive-through will also serve as a shared patio area for the residents, it said.
The site plan for the complex includes 62 parking spaces, 13 more than the minimum required, the report said. Two nearby residential parcels will be used for parking, it said.
”While staff typically encourages development sites to be brought into uniform zoning classification prior to redevelopment, staff believe that retaining residential zoning classification for the northern portion of the property will protect the adjacent residential district to the north and west from more intense commercial uses if the property is ever redeveloped in the future,” the commission said.
At the hearing, Robert Bertog, the landscape architect for the project, said landscaping along the north lot line and the west lot line would be “dense” and help reduce light and sound from the drive-through.
Philippas said the ordering terminal would be located a “fair distance” from surrounding residential properties and agreed with a commission suggestion that the sound and brightness of the terminal could be adjusted to ensure compliance with village regulations and reduce their effect on nearby residences.
