By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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MACHESNEY PARK — A Starbucks under construction near the corner of North Second Street and Roosevelt Road marks a development milestone the village hasn’t seen in nearly 30 years.
The future coffee shop at 8610 N. Second St. is the first construction project being built from the ground up on the outlots of the former Machesney Park Mall since Tom & Jerry’s restaurant was built in early 1995, according to Village Administrator James Richter II. That building, at 8660 N. Second St., is now Plaza de los Panchos Mexican restaurant.
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The Starbucks is being built next to Burger King, which was constructed in the summer of 1987.
Village President Steve Johnson said the construction was a good sign of momentum for the Machesney Town Center, the new name for the former mall property.
“It’s extremely encouraging,” Johnson said. “Now we have a new big retail presence in the Town Center or the old mall. We hope that will bring new, other interest into other outlots. I could foresee somebody else coming in quickly knowing that Starbucks is going in there.”
Johnson noted that other projects on the mall property are in the works, too. The former Baking Ground North site at 8638 N. Second St., which was built as a Taco Bell in 1987, is being redeveloped now by Scott Warner as Top Dog Pizza & Pub. Warner hopes to open by late spring or early summer.
Benny’s Nest, which is next to Nestory Self Storage on the north end of the former mall, is also expected to open later this spring.
Johnson said the village will also be working to repair the crumbling medians on North Second Street this summer.
The Starbucks under construction will be a freestanding 2,500-square-foot building with both a drive-thru and indoor dining.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas