Alderman Quinn breaks ground on new Starbucks location

Retailer to be built on 40-year vacant land. Nearly 10 Years in the Making, Quinn Adds. Starbucks to Growing Cicero Avenue Corridor

Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn (13) on Friday, March 22, 2024, stood with Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, representatives from Starbucks, as well as local community groups and residents to break ground on a new Starbucks location at 6413 S. Cicero Ave., a city-owned plot of land that has been vacant for 40 years.

Quinn has pushed for development of the vacant land on the Southwest Side for nearly 10 years.

The new Starbucks location adds to Quinn’s commitment to developing the Cicero Avenue corridor, where he has recruited many other businesses, including Culver’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Lou Malnati’s, Manolo’s Tamales, Taco Bell and others.

“I’m dedicated to ensuring the Southwest Side is a place people want to live, start families and grow roots for generations,” Quinn said.

“It was worth pursuing this important investment that breathes more life into the community, brings more jobs to the area and continues to even the playing field between the South and North Sides of the city.”

The site for the Starbucks was a former gas station and sits in the Midway runway protection zone and can only be 19-feet high.

“The new Starbucks location in the 13th Ward is a win for Chicago,” Johnson said. “It’s wonderful to see the Cicero Avenue corridor thriving. I applaud Ald. Quinn, Starbucks and all the local champions who never gave up on developing this site and are continually making strong investments in the Southwest Side.”

Starbucks developed a compelling design that meets all city zoning requirements.

“What was once a vacant and blighted plot of land for 40 years will now be a community hub of energy, jobs and investment,” said Ciere Boatright, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development. “We were pleased to work with Ald. Quinn, Starbucks and the community to bring this site back to life.”

Construction on the new Starbucks location will begin immediately.

The full City Council passed Quinn’s measure that paved the way for construction of the new Starbucks in Oct. 2021.

Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns

Author
Recent Posts

Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter