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New development is a joint venture between Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Synergy Construction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 27, 2022) Pacific Retail Capital Partners (PRCP), one of the nation’s leading retail developers and operating groups of large open- air and enclosed shopping centers, and Synergy Construction, a development and construction firm, announced today the acquisition and redevelopment of the former Carson’s anchor store at Yorktown Center in Lombard, IL.

The 12-acre property, located at 230 Yorktown Center, will be c0-developed by PRCP and Synergy, with new luxury multi-family buildings, a 3+ acre park area that will be used as a communal outdoor environment and newly energized dining and retail offerings. Construction on the two-phase project is anticipated to begin in Spring 2023 with an estimated completion of phase 1 in Spring, 2025 subject to final planning review by the Village of Lombard.

“As department store buildings around the country become obsolete, communities look to companies like Synergy and Pacific Retail for the next vision for retail malls,” said Phil Domenico, Principal, Synergy Construction. “With Synergy and PRCP’s acquisition of the former Carson’s building at Yorktown Center in Lombard, the joint venture is positioned to set forth a truly transformative mixed-use project, that will become a template for other malls around the country.”

Originally opened as the largest shopping center in America in 1968, Yorktown Center had as one of its anchors, Carson Pirie Scott, who enjoyed a 50-year run as a prominent department store in Lombard before closing its doors in 2018. Pacific Retail has owned the property since 2012 and has been able to rebalance the asset systematically by implementing a thorough renovation of the interior of the mall, targeted leasing upgrades, master planning and adding a residential community to Yorktown Center, including a portion of the center that was rezoned by PRCP for residential and sold off in 2018 to develop over 500 units, Elan, and Overture.

“This project marks the next evolution in our strategic masterplan and vision for Yorktown Center. We saw the closure of Carson’s as a unique opportunity for further redevelopment of the property in that it offers a vast space that is prime for creative re-imagination,” said Steve Plenge, CEO, Pacific Retail Capital Partners. “We are in the business of transforming shopping malls. We believe we can add a vibrant mix of uses to create further densification to a site where people will want to live, shop, dine and be entertained. This development is a needed investment that ensures the viability of the shopping center and will enhance the local community for generations to come.”

Phase 1 of the project includes the demolition of the former Carson’s building, construction of a multi-family residential building, the creation of a large park area that will be a communal outdoor space, as well as peripheral building modifications to the shopping center that will create a seamless connection to the residential units.

“When Carson’s closed, we knew we needed to explore different opportunities to redevelop the space to the highest and best use,” said Jonathan Rood, executive vice president of development, PRCP. “With the addition of residential buildings and the ability to activate the green space, we are able to add a number of new restaurant concepts and retailers to this dynamic redevelopment.”

ABOUT SYNERGY CONSTRUCTION
Founded in 2009, Synergy Construction is a privately held development and construction firm based in Chicago, IL. Over the past 14 years, Synergy has designed, developed, and constructed 100’s of successful projects in Illinois as well as in Florida, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, and Michigan. With over $100 million in annual revenues, Synergy principals are actively engaged with their team of over 50 employees in the daily management of the firm. Projects include the development and construction of over 1,100 market rate luxury muti-family units, single-tenant medical buildings for Oak Street Health and the $74 million tax-credit financed redevelopment of the former Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago into a 193-unit Elderly Independent and Supportive Living Facility.

ABOUT PACIFIC RETAIL CAPITAL PARTNERS
Pacific Retail Capital Partners (PRCP) is one of the nation’s premier retail operating groups of large open- air and enclosed shopping centers, with more than $3.0 billion in retail assets presently under management in the United States. Based in Southern California, PRCP provides end-to-end sourcing, assessment, underwriting, valuing, developing, and asset management of retail real estate with a proven track record of repositioning properties.

PRCP strategically manages over 20+ million square feet of retail destinations. The executive team has over 225 years of collective real estate expertise in leasing, marketing, operations, design, development, management, investment, and finance. With a keen focus on enhancing the value and quality of its growing portfolio, PRCP is dedicated to creating a unique, strategic vision for each property and exceeding the highest expectations of retail investors, retailers, and consumers.

To learn more visit pacificretail.com or follow social media at:
Facebook: @PacificRetailCapitalPartners and Instagram: @PacificRetail

Amid a strong multifamily market, apartments have emerged as a popular redevelopment option for mall owners stuck with empty department store space

Read the complete story at the Crain’s Chicago Business site.

Like many U.S. malls of its vintage, the 54-year-old Yorktown Mall in Lombard has had its share of struggles, given the rise of e-commerce followed by a crippling pandemic that had it scrambling to pay off mortgage debt last year.

Now, new plans are underway to transform a former anchor department store — Carson Pirie Scott, which enjoyed a 50-year run in the space before shuttering in 2018 — into a mixed-use project to include luxury multifamily buildings, a 3-acre park area, and new dining and retail offerings.

Read the complete story HERE.

The plan to redevelop part of Yorktown Center would include a park as developers seek new uses for outmoded retail space.

By David Roeder

The owner of the Yorktown Center shopping mall in Lombard plans to demolish the former Carson Pirie Scott store and replace it with multifamily housing and a park.

Pacific Retail Capital Partners, owner of Yorktown since 2012, is investing in the project with Chicago-based Synergy Construction Group. Work is expected to start on a 12-acre portion of the mall property next spring, pending approval by village officials.

Phil Domenico, principal at Synergy, said Wednesday the number of units to be built is uncertain because the plan still needs a zoning change. He said the project will include luxury apartments likely to be built over about five years. The work represents a $200 million investment, he said.

The project could result in 600 or 700 new units built in phases, said William Heniff, community development director for Lombard. He said village officials are discussing incentives for the project, including tax-increment financing and money from a business taxing district covering Yorktown that’s been in place since 2019.

The park is expected to cover more than three acres. Part of the existing mall will be redesigned to better connect stores and restaurants with the park and apartments, Heniff said. Zoning approval could occur early in 2023, he said.

Read the complete story HERE.

Will the next big trend in fast food be Nashville hot chicken? The owners of the Los Angeles-based restaurant chain Burnin’ Mouth are betting on it.

The first franchised Burnin’ Mouth in the Midwest opened this week at Yorktown Center in Lombard, and a second one is being eyed for Oak Brook. Existing locations are in Texas and California, where the first Burnin’ Mouth opened at a mall in Oxnard in January 2021.

“Right now, we are aiming for a lot of mall locations,” said Burnin’ Mouth operations coordinator Roy Park. “Malls have a lot of foot traffic, and we want to show our brands to a lot of people.”

The owners of Burnin’ Mouth also run a chain of mall-based dessert restaurants called Devil & Angel, which specialize in soft serve ice cream, doughnuts and boba teas. Park hinted that an Oak Brook location of Devil & Angel is in the cards.

But Park said many Burnin’ Mouth workers have to explain to customers just what is Nashville hot chicken. It is breaded and spiced fried chicken. But it has a healthy dose of dried chile pepper-based powder seasoning.

“It’s not all sauce-based, but it is a powder-based chicken,” Park said. “It will be new for a lot of people around here.”

The menu focuses on sandwiches, wings and strips, with fries and coleslaw as sides.

Burnin’ Mouth also has some Korean influences with another of its signature sandwiches, the Bang Bang. It features sauces based more on garlic soy sauce or sweet chili sauce.

So far, there are no Tennessee locations of Burnin’ Mouth. But Park said it’s not so strange for restaurateurs to be inspired by another regional cuisine. After all, the world’s first franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken location opened in Salt Lake City.

“We have about five locations of Burnin’ Mouth open now. But within the year, we’ll have about 10 more opening,” Park said. “Next year, we’re aiming for about 50 more locations all around the United States.”

For your information: A new outpost of FYE — For Your Entertainment — is now open at Yorktown Center in Lombard.

The 3,500 square-foot store features all kinds of pop culture merchandise, from specially branded candy to those ubiquitous Funko Pop vinyl figurines.

And contrary to naysayers assuming that the death knell had rung long ago for mall-based music stores, the new FYE in Lombard regularly stocks the latest song hits on CDs and vinyl.

“We’re focused on the pop culture experience, but we also still carry media,” Chief Merchandising Officer Jodie Evans said about physical entertainment media, which includes 4K video technology and throwback vinyl.

“We still carry all the new music and movie releases,” Evans said. “We feel that’s a point of difference for us from other pop culture stores in the mall.”

Evans noted that FYE has had to adapt amid the massive technological shift among consumers toward music and video streaming services. Yet, Evans said, there are still people who want physical media of their favorite music or movies — especially if they are not licensed on select streaming services like Apple Music or Netflix.

FYE is one of the last mall music store names standing. Earlier stores like Record Town and Tape World were renamed, or acquired like Camelot Music, Wherehouse Entertainment and Sam Goody. In January 2020, the FYE parent company Trans World sold it to be a subsidiary of Canadian-based Sunrise Records & Entertainment.

Evans said the Lombard FYE location brings the company’s North American physical store portfolio to 206; they plan to be at 215 stores before the December holidays. Evans also added that ordering from FYE online for store pickup is not currently available.

“We like to say that everybody in the family can shop in our store and find something they will enjoy — whether it’s a game, a movie, a collectible piece, a T-shirt, and so on,” Evans said. “That’s really been our focus over the past couple of years.”

And FYE has also moved away from its previous blue guitar pick logo for semantic reasons.

“We revamped the logo,” Evans said, noting the FYE on orange dots are meant to emphasize the acronym of For Your Entertainment. “We still have people who pronounce the store ‘fie.'”

It’s summer in Chicago which means rooftop dinners, festivals, and strolls along the lakefront.

Local fashion expert Erica Bennet is here to show us a few different summer fashion looks that make summer more fun.

See video HERE

Click on video link below

The finishing touches are being applied to a new public art mural at Yorktown Center in Lombard.

Veronica Martinez of Chicago and Edgar Sosa of Cicero are the artists behind “Flourish.” The nearly 2,430 square-foot painting in two pieces adorns the shopping center’s main entrance.

Like two giant blocks from the video game “Tetris,” the multicolored murals visually pop amid the outdoor dining patio of a Honey Berry Pancakes and Cafe. Its creation was commissioned by Yorktown Center’s 2021 Mural Project.

“Flourish” takes its inspiration from Lombard’s famous flora, its history and iconic Chicago landmarks. It’s a design that is both abstract and representational.

“At first we had the idea of color, but it didn’t really have as deep as a meaning that it currently has,” Sosa said.

A trip to Lombard’s Lilacia Park inspired the artists to incorporate the 19th century Lombard settler Sheldon Peck into the design. Not only was Peck a folk artist himself, but his abolitionist stances and role as a conductor for the Underground Railroad jibed with Martinez’s own artistic work driven by social justice movements.

“The more we kept digging, the more rich information we discovered about this community,” said Martinez, noting that keen mural observers will find Peck’s historical home and portrait in the design.

“The way that Veronica and Edgar were able to weave the Lombard history, the western suburban history while also incorporating those pieces of the Chicago skyline is so incredible,” said Yorktown’s marketing manager Emily Barack.

Both Sosa and Martinez also chuckle about their initial mural work that started on July 7. Yorktown shoppers might have been mistaken that the murals were just a squiggly mass of blue doodles across a white background.

“It actually served as a grid for us — knowing how big and how proportional an object or shape was going to be,” said Martinez about the artists’ mapping technique to accurately enlarge their design to scale on the walls.

Sosa added that they named the mural “Flourish” and made it extra colorful as a contrast to last year’s turmoil with so much societal upheaval and global sickness. Both Martinez and Sosa also were delighted by all the passerby encouragement as they painted.

“People would yell out their compliments over the noise of the hydraulic lift,” Sosa said. “That made it even better for us.”

“Flourish” joins the ranks of four other murals at Yorktown. These include the Brookfield Zoo co-sponsored mural “Yorktown Butterfly” by artist Kelsey Montague, plus “Rise & Shine” by Chicago-area artist Molly Z.

But “Flourish” has extra prominence according to Barack, since an estimated 1.4 million vehicles pass by Yorktown’s facade along Butterfield Road each month.

“So these artists have a huge impact not only on the property itself, but a visibility in our community that is unmatched,” Barack said.

Looking for a dog cafe or other activity with your furry friend? Chicago has plethora of options

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago tends to be a dog-friendly city; so if you’re looking for some fun things to do with your four-legged friends, here are some exciting and unusual suggestions.

Coming out of the COVID pandemic, when a lot of time was spent at home with pets, having a little summertime fun with your furry friends could lessen separation anxiety.

Pet expert and radio host Steve Dale joined ABC 7 Chicago’s Roz Varon in exploring dog-friendly Chicago.

There’s nothing like that special bond between you and your pup.

“Neuro-chemicals in our brain do a happy dance when we’re with our dogs, and, for most people, that’s true even by looking at a dog,” Dale said.

RELATED: Tips to help pets deal with separation anxiety

Dale joined Lola, Sassi and Varon, as they discovered some dog-friendly places on and off the beaten path.

“There are so many wonderful landmarks in Chicago, historic places – where can you bring a dog to enjoy the nature and the landmark at the same time?” asked Nick Pullia, with Navy Pier. “Navy Pier’s about it, right?”

And it’s not just the pier.

“These Seadog boats behind us are dog-friendly,” said Grace Fuller, general manager with City Cruises Chicago. “We love having people bring their dogs; dogs always ride free, always have. The crew gets really excited; we love having them on board, dogs love it. It’s such a unique experience to have with your pet!”

From boating to shopping, Yorktown Center in Lombard has been named the No. 1 dog-friendly mall in America by the pet travel website Bring Fido. Most stores display a paw, letting you know it’s OK to shop with your pup. You can dine with your dog at restaurants with outdoor patios, and then chill at the dog lounge.

“It’s a space where dogs and their owners can come to hang out, take a quick break from shopping and to get a little bit of energy out, while on their leashes,” said Emily Barack, marketing and business development manager with Yorktown Center. “We do have some bridges and some other fun activities for the dogs to take part in and mix and mingle with each other as well.”

And don’t forget about food: The Perch Kitchen and Tap in Wicker Park has a spacious patio that really caters to your Perch pup.

“We do have our dog menus, our hefe-woof-zen, which is our doggie beer, made with chicken stock and water. We also have the power bowl and the pupsicles,” said Makenzie Monastero, assistant general manager at Perch.

They also do themed puppy photo shoots every couple of months.

You can even participate in America’s favorite pastime.

“Years ago, I talked to the Chicago White Sox,” Dale said. “I had this idea: You can attract more people to come to what was then Comiskey Park, if you let people bring their best friends with four legs.”

And the rest is history.

One final stop: Next time you go to Starbucks with your pooch, don’t forget to ask for a Puppuccino. The Puppuccino is really just a cup of whipped cream, and it’s free.

There are many restaurant in Chicago and the suburbs that allow dogs, as long as they have outside patios. Just ask when you make reservations.

See original story HERE