Smoothie King coming to Huntley

Huntley residents will soon be able to get Smoothie King in town.

The chain “serves specialized smoothies blended for specific health needs, goals, and ambitions with locations nationwide“ according to Huntley records, and plans to open a store at 12900 Route 47.

Originally, drive-thru coffee chain The Human Bean was going to open up in the space, and the Huntley Village Board approved plans for that last year.

The coffeeshop didn’t pan out, and developers are instead moving forward with Smoothie King, village records indicate. The Village Board approved a special-use permit for the shop last week. The board didn’t discuss the smoothie store before unanimously giving the enterprise the thumbs-up. Trustee Vito Benigno was absent.

The only change from last year’s plans related to the business' signs, Director of Development Services Charlie Nordman said.

The proprietors of Smoothie King asked to have three signs, one each on the front and side of the building that would be 44.7 square feet and a 19.5-square-feet sign on the back. The company is allowed to have 20 square feet of signage, Nordman said, and they asked for special permission for the 89 extra square feet of extra signage.

The Smoothie King isn’t the first pivot for the area. Huntley officials considered drive-thru 7 Brew coffee after plans for an urgent care and Noodles and Company near the Chipotle fell through. The village board gave its blessing to 7 Brew over the summer, and its aesthetic is designed to match that of the Chipotle next door. The 7 Brew coffeeshop is expected to open early next year, Nordman said.

The Chipotle, complete with a “Chipotlane," opened its doors in September at 12990 Route 47.

The Huntley Smoothie King is expected to open in early 2025, according to the company website. Three other Chicago-area stores in Lansing, Oak Lawn and Homer Glen are also expected to open early next year. In total, the company is working on opening 10 new Smoothie Kings in and around the Chicago area, according to its website, and the chain opened its 1,200th American store last month.

The Huntley Smoothie King joins a number of new eateries along the stretch of the state highway. The store will also be within walking distance of a couple recently approved housing developments.

The village board signed off last month on a 41 single-family home development, called Stillwell Grove, that will be built near the Powers Road and Samantha Lane intersection, close to the Huntley Springs retirement facility.

The subdivision is also near an approved apartment complex that is expected to have nearly 300 apartments once it’s fully built out. The complex got the village board thumbs-up over the summer.