Dupage Policy Journal

The Bartlett village board is celebrating a victory for its economic development department as Aldi has agreed to open a new location in the village.

“Attracting a second grocery store to the village has been the top economic development priority for the past nine years, since Dominick’s Finer Foods closed,” Trustee Stephanie Gansey said during the board's March 7 meeting. “Staff has engaged with over a dozen, including Aldi, for many years in an effort to attract a store to town, culminating in a series of meetings and communications throughout 2022.”

The board uploaded a livestream of its public meeting to the village’s YouTube channel.

The village of Bartlett has been looking to welcome another grocery store since one closed at the end of 2013. This left residents with only one option for grocery shopping inside the village, and residents were constantly asking the village to incentivize another store in the area. The village has spent nine years working with other grocers to invite them into the village, with only Aldi showing some consistent interest in moving into the downtown area. With the rebranding of downtown Bartlett to the Streets of Bartlett last year, Aldi began pursuing the possibility in earnest.

The village negotiated several incentives with Aldi to cement this deal, including an infrastructure grant and tax rebate. The village agreed to a $250,000 site improvement grant payment to Aldi, as its normal site improvement costs range between $700,000-800,000 but with current inflation, costs are topping $1 million. The village is also waiving the permit and zoning fees for Aldi, though it still has to go through all the processes same as everyone else. The fee waivers amount to a roughly $30,000 savings for the grocer. Finally, the village also proposed a 50% sales tax sharing agreement with Aldi. This would run up until $220,000 has been rebated to Aldi. By the village’s estimate of the store earning around $150,000 per year in sales tax, this should be reached near the end of the third year of operation.

The store will be in the Streets of Bartlett area in a free-standing building just under 19,500 square feet. Because this location will be near the brand’s corporate headquarters, it will also feature the newest corporate building design and serve as a flagship for the brand’s corporate identity. 

Gansey walked the board and community through this agreement during the meeting before the board voted its approval. A representative from Aldi was also at the meeting and addressed the board, commenting on how eager the grocer is to start business in the village and bring its newest store version to the residents. Aldi is expecting to start work on the location this year and potentially begin service within the calendar year, although some aspects may not be available right away depending on supply availability.

In other business, the board also discussed a resolution approving of the Pipeline License Agreement for a sanitary sewer connection between Metra and the Village of Bartlett.

The board will meet again at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Bartlett Police Department on 228 S. Main St.