Peru is ‘keeping an eye’ on Five Below project, ‘development has been frustrating,’ mayor says

Peru is keeping tabs on the construction of the planned Five Below – more specifically its sidewalk.

“The shopping season is coming,” Mayor Ken Kolowski said during Monday’s Public Works Committee meeting as he questioned what the city could do about the torn-up sidewalk in front of the site.

Director of Engineering & Zoning Eric Carls said the city has been working with Five Below, but there has been a change within the group.

“We’re working with and trying to understand timeliness for the project,” he said. “We are keeping an eye on it.”

The conversation came after Kolowski said on Facebook he is asked daily about Five Below and the development has been frustrating.

“The truth of the matter is, we’ve been told the project is still moving forward. We’ve been told the project is on hold,” he said on Facebook “We’ve been told there’s a contractor dispute. The development has been frustrating.”

The project has been in the works since last fall when a December planning and zoning commission meeting was set to consider a petition to subdivide Kohl’s property and construct a 10,083-square-foot structure to be leased by Five Below.

Five Below is a chain of specialty discount stores that prices most of its products at $5 or less with a smaller assortment of products priced up to $25.