Plainfield’s plans for Portillo’s, Woodman’s on schedule

Plainfield is slated to see several new businesses begin construction or officially open this year, while one Route 59 mainstay will close its doors.

The Kohl’s at 11860 S. Route 59 in Plainfield is one of two Illinois stores and 27 across the country that will close this spring.

With more than 1,150 locations nationwide, the decision was made because of low sales at the location.

“We are talking with landowners and working with them to help refill those spaces with businesses,” Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said.

However, farther south on Route 59, the Plainfield Portillo’s location became closer to reality after the Village Board in December approved several variances to the property, including the drive-thru location, lighting and foundation landscaping.

Argoudelis said that “dirt will begin flying on this project by summer. We expect them to be operating sometime in 2025.”

Portillo’s received the go-ahead to redevelop an old PNC bank adjacent to the Jewel-Osco grocery store into a restaurant that will be used primarily for drive-thru operations.

The village’s approval came despite some concerns over the traffic at the intersection, which various entities are working to rectify.

The developer and village agreed on road improvements to ease the traffic problems at the 135th Street and Route 59 intersection, pending Illinois Department of Transportation approval. It is expected that the intersection will have dedicated turn lanes and crosswalks.

In the interim, the village is working on a temporary solution to extend the existing left turn lane.

According to a Portillo’s report, the proposed site consists of a 3,730-square-foot structure with two drive-thru lanes, an employee shelter canopy, parking stalls and existing landscaping surrounding the site.

The structure is proposed to be on the northern end of the site, and the drive-thru lanes will be positioned on the north and east sides of the structure, according to the report.

Woodman’s grocery

In January 2024, Woodman’s Markets announced that it was buying land at the northeast corner of 119th Street and Route 59 in Plainfield.

Woodman’s also will have a fuel center that includes gas dispensers, a convenience store, a car wash and an oil change center.

The Wisconsin-based Woodman’s aims to begin construction on the grocery store this year, with plans to open in 2026, Argoudelis said.

He said Woodman’s has invested $12 million for the improvement of the intersection at Route 59 and 119th Street, which requires approval and coordination with IDOT, “and that process is going to take some time.”

“Most of this year is going to be spent laying out the detailed plans and getting approvals from the various agencies,” Argoudelis said.

In addition, a Plainfield Cooper’s Hawk is expected to open this spring at The Boulevard, a mixed-use site at the northwest quadrant of Interstate 55 and Route 30, and includes both the communities of Plainfield and Joliet.

The Boulevard already includes a 150,000-square-foot Costco.

An Olive Garden opened on the Joliet side in 2023, and a Starbucks recently was approved by the Joliet City Council.

“Between the Costco and Cooper’s Hawk,” Argoudelis said, “there is some really cool stuff that we hope to announce in the next couple of months.”

In addition, Argoudelis said there have been a couple of proposals in the works at the site of the former Walmart located at 12690 Route 59, which closed its doors in March 2023.

“They have been negotiating the price with Walmart, [which owns the building],” he said.

“It is a huge building,” Argoudelis said. “It is not that easy to fill such a big space.”

Therefore, a potential new owner of the building could split the site among several new establishments.