Overview
- Trustees voted 5–2 to grant final local approval, with William Healy and Cynthia Katsenes opposed and Mayor Jim Dodge in the majority.
- Amazon describes the site as a first-of-its-kind retail concept integrating in-store shopping with digital kiosks and curbside pickup, with more than half the building devoted to back-of-house operations and not serving as an e-commerce fulfillment center.
- The 35-acre development at 9600 159th St. replaces the former Petey’s II restaurant and includes 837 parking spaces, seven loading docks, new sidewalks, landscaped open space, and on-site stormwater detention.
- A traffic study projects roughly 10,060 additional daily vehicle trips by 2033 and a 5%–6% rise in area traffic, with planned mitigation including a new signal, added turn lanes, and a Ravinia Avenue extension that could lag the store’s completion.
- Amazon estimates about 500 permanent jobs and roughly 200 construction jobs, while residents questioned the fast two-week review and potential congestion, including a petition with 533 signatures urging a delay.