Lake County Gazette

The Lake Forest Planning Commission has recommended approval of a special use permit that would facilitate the construction of a Starbucks outlet on a property located at the southeast corner of Waukegan and Everett Roads. The proposal, as it stands, is solely focused on the coffee shop.

Jack Frigo, acting as the real estate advisor for Iosue Investments, the property owner, stated that there are no current plans to develop the rest of the property. According to a transcript from the Lake Forest Planning Commission meeting, Frigo revealed that a 2,200-square-foot Starbucks was under consideration.

The proposed site is situated on a prominent corner that has remained vacant for approximately 15 years since a gas station previously operating there closed its doors. This information was gleaned from the agenda packet for the February 15th Lake Forest Planning Commission meeting.

According to this same agenda packet, in 2021 an approved development plan included both a medical office building and a coffee shop. However, this project failed to proceed due to an inability to secure tenants for the medical offices. In response to this setback, Iosue Investments presented a revised plan featuring a four-story apartment building in place of the medical facility. However, this plan was met with recommendation for denial by the commission and subsequently withdrawn by the developer.

The latest strategy put forth by Iosue Investments involves developing the site incrementally, beginning with Starbucks. As detailed in the agenda packet for February 15th's Lake Forest Planning Commission meeting, their plan incorporates elements such as a drive-through with double stacking lane at its entrance, parking facilities, sidewalks, landscaping features and trash enclosure.

The agenda packet also disclosed that property owners had previously agreed to dedicate part of their land along Everett Road for future road widening purposes.