Amazon wants to build a 229,000-square-foot “primarily retail” commercial building in Orland Park, Ill., just outside of Chicago proper, that would also include a “limited warehouse component supporting on-site operations,” according to an Orland Park statement. The proposed one-story building, located on a 35-acre commercially zoned property, would be larger than a Walmart Supercenter, which typically average 179,000 square feet.
Amazon’s proposal was approved by the Orland Park Plan Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 13, according to Patch, and will be considered by the full village board at a meeting on Jan. 19. The proposal also includes multiple future commercial outlots (plots identified but not yet developed) on the property.
The eventual retail store would offer a wide range of products, including groceries and general merchandise, with accessory services and potential prepared-food options. The warehouse component will be designed to support on-site operations rather than serve as a large-scale distribution center.
Orland Park officials are enthused about the project: “When a global retailer of this scale is considering investment in Orland Park, it sends a strong signal about the vitality of our community and the strategic importance of this corridor,” said Jim Dodge, Mayor of Orland Park in a statement. “This is a prime location, and we are encouraged to see it being considered for full commercial redevelopment.”
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Amazon has been involved in brick-and-mortar retail since its 2017 acquisition of Whole Foods Market, but the company has had something of a checkered history with stores carrying the Amazon name. For example, Amazon shuttered its two Amazon Style stores, in Glendale, Calif. and Columbus, Ohio, in November 2023, less than two years after their openings. This move followed Amazon’s February 2023 decision to pause expansion of its Amazon Fresh grocery stores and Amazon Go checkout-free convenience stores. This past fall, Amazon said it would shutter 14 Amazon Fresh stores in the UK and convert five of these sites to the Whole Foods Market banner.
