Crews are nearly finished clearing the property at Route 59 and Aurora Avenue to make way for Block 59, the large dining and entertainment development expected to open in Naperville next year.
“If you go out there now, what you’re looking at is demolition that is probably 95% complete,” Rich Dippolito, vice president of redevelopment for project developer Brixmor Property Group, said Wednesday.
Tear down of the site, formerly the Heritage Square shopping center, started in July. Work has been a long time coming, Dippolito said.
“We had started reimagining the shopping center about six years ago. … So it’s been a long process,” he said. “You know, there have been a lot of twists and turns, but I think what we have today is a really great project.”
Block 59 is a $53 million, 91,000-square-foot venture. When complete, the complex will bring a slew of new dining options to the city, including Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheesecake Factory, Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk, Shake Shack, Stan’s Donuts, First Watch, Fresh Fin, Crisp & Green and Velvet Taco.
Redevelopment plans also include a centralized event plaza.
With demolition almost tied up, crews are starting to create building pads for incoming tenants, starting with Stan’s Donuts and Shake Shack, Dippolito said. Those will likely be the first two Block 59 tenants to open, he said.
“We’re trying to get them open by the spring,” he said.
As for the rest of the tenants, Dippolito said the goal is to have a grand opening for Block 59 by September or October 2025.
Interest in being a part of the complex has been “really strong,” Dippolito said. As of this week, 80% of the development was leased, leaving a handful spaces still yet to be filled.
Demolition and site work comes after months of securing final approvals from the city, shoring up design plans and lining up committed tenants, he said.
Redevelopment plans for Block 59 were approved by the Naperville City Council in March 2023. The council also signed off on establishing the site as a business district to help fund infrastructure needed improvements.
The district places an added 1% tax on sales made at businesses within its boundaries, which includes the former Heritage Square center and a portion of the neighboring Westridge Court shopping center. The state started collecting the new taxes in July 2023, and the city started to see receipts from those returns later that fall, according to Bill Novack, director of Naperville’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department.
To ensure Brixmor follows through with planned work, the company won’t receive any district tax money until at least 50,000 square feet of site and public improvements have been completed and approved by city staff, a certificate of occupancy is issued for at least one of the new buildings, and the public event space is completed and open to the public.
Novack this week said that he doesn’t expect conditions to be met until sometime in 2025.
Meanwhile, Dippolito urged community members to keep an eye on Brixmor’s new Block 59 website. Launched when demolition started, the site will be updated “as things are happening,” he said.
