Mariano’s is moving forward with plans for its new grocery store at 16th and Clark streets in the South Loop.

At a community meeting of the Greater South Loop Association on Saturday, May 12, representatives from the store showed off new renderings and shared how it’ll move forward.

The new store will add a mid-block stop light between 16th and 17th streets to help traffic move in and out of its parking lots. Mariano’s itself will take up about 65,000 square feet, and have 300 parking spaces — one surface lot and two decked parking levels atop the grocery store itself. The façade will be made up of two colors of brick.

There are still a few legal issues to be dealt with to officially buy the property from the city. Like the Near West Side’s Pete’s Fresh Market, several unused streets and alleys must be officially vacated by the city before they can be built on. That’s not a slam dunk, as Pete’s was delayed for months by that process, but Mariano’s hopes they can get started building by this fall.

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By sam from sloop
Posted: 08/22/2012 0:15 AM

anyone know if this project is still moving forward. i've heard august as their ground breaking but i don't see any movement on that lot and august has almost come and gone.

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By asdf from south loop
Posted: 06/06/2012 9:56 AM

I understand there's lack of grocery store offerings in certain parts of the city. And while it makes sense in a SimCity kind of way to start dropping them where there's a void. But these grocery stores are profit centers. No matter what the alderman says, they will choose their location based on their target audience... and target demographics. At the end of the day... it's all about the Benjamins.

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By Geena from Pilsen
Posted: 06/04/2012 11:44 AM

Great! Alternative to the ever climbing prices at WFoods. Good location and JOBS!. This company is on a tear as far as expanding in Chicago-SLoop, Westside, Near WFoods Lincoln Park plus Greektown. Jobs x 4

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By Sam from Far West Side
Posted: 05/17/2012 4:44 PM

I can't wait when the west loop opens the Costco and Target stores this summer. If I don't feel like driving to the suburbs and can avoid going to the north side for Costco and the south loop Target, you will get my business. Same thing applies when Pete's Fresh Market opens.

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By Another SL Parent from South Loop
Posted: 05/17/2012 12:56 PM

Cheer up west loopers. Costco will be there soon enough. Good for us too.

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By anannymoose from near west side
Posted: 05/17/2012 12:18 PM

Dave, when your shopping options are comprised of Walgreen's, a BP station and a couple of crappy bodegas it's vary, very hard to be patient. And we've been very, very patient. To the point of losing hope. So forgive us our kvetching and seek to understand how frustrating it can be to live without the amenities others--like you--take for granted.

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By George from Near West Side
Posted: 05/17/2012 11:56 AM

First Pete's Fresh Market and now Mariano's. The city needs a task force to resolve issues of alleys and vacant lots now instead of doing it after a company makes an agreement and purchase the property. Pete's should had been open back in 2009 and its still a vacant area.

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By Dave
Posted: 05/17/2012 11:29 AM

You guys and your Pete's post are getting out of control. Pete's isn't some billion dollar company like Roundys. Yes it is overdue but it will be built within time.

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By FRUSTRATED! from near west side
Posted: 05/17/2012 8:08 AM

@Ben - so when is Pete\'s being built?! what is the hold up now?!???!?!!? I thought all legal issues were behind us. We had the \'ceremonial\' groundbreaking, and we are still waiting. I share Claudeah\'s frustration and disappointment.

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By South Loopr from South Loop
Posted: 05/16/2012 10:36 PM

What happend? The other Mariano's in the city have modern looking architecture (west loop, lakeshore east) - this looks like the 7th grade school I went to 20 years ago. Either way, very excited they are coming into the neighborhood and if they have anything set up like they do in Lakeshore East, I will be there every other day.

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By Ben Meyerson from Chicago Journal
Posted: 05/16/2012 7:17 PM

Technically, Claudeah, Mariano's is behind Pete's. As I mention at the bottom of the story, Mariano's still needs the city to vacate some streets in the middle of the site, one of the things that held up Pete's the most.

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By claudeah from united center
Posted: 05/16/2012 6:33 PM

I'm so saddened and disappointed, by the city and by the alderman. Yet another grocery store in the ward that is starting construction and we are still waiting for Pete's at Madison and Western.