The Orland Park Plan Commission faced a packed Village Hall Tuesday night as residents raised questions and concerns about a proposed Amazon retail development for the busy 159th Street and LaGrange Road intersection.

“How is my life going to be better?” Carol McGury asked the seven Plan Commission members, stressing the project “should not be rushed.”

The proposed nearly 230,000-square-foot commercial retail space at the site of the former Petey’s II restaurant “will likely be one of the first of its kind,” according to Katie Jahnke Dale, a Chicago attorney representing Amazon. It will include items from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods and online goods.

Jahnke Dale told the commission Amazon is aiming to create a more comprehensive shopping experience where visitors to the store in person can use their phone or an in-store kiosk to find items not on the sales floor.

Customers can also order items to be brought to their vehicles, either at the front of the store or in a reserved parking spot.

“Nothing that we’re doing here, though, is different from what we are all experiencing in retail stores that exist today,” Jahnke Dale said. “It’s just done in a more purposeful, thoughtful manner.”

Amazon representatives and village staff said the site would not be used as a warehouse, a concern of some residents and members of the Plan Commission.

“I think I’m satisfied that this is a retail center,” Commissioner John Paul said, checking with village staff to make sure Amazon couldn’t turn the building into a warehouse if its retail concept fails.

Other concerns raised Tuesday largely surrounded traffic issues.

The village presented plans to abate traffic by extending Ravinia Avenue east to connect to 161st Street, potentially rerouting 25% of the intersection’s eastbound right and northbound left-turning traffic. However, the Amazon facility could be completed before the road extension.

Orland Park also hopes to coordinate with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Cook County to make other traffic improvements, including replacing the traffic signal at the 159th Street and 94th Avenue intersection and adding right-turn and left-turn lanes on at least some approaches.

“The village has been working on this project for over 10 years,” Orland Park Engineering Director Khurshid Hoda said.

He said this development is not the cause of traffic problems.

“Even if you go out today, we have all experienced it, that intersection is operating at a very congested level,” Hoda said.

Alongside the retail building would be 837 parking spaces and seven loading docks, according to Amazon’s application.

Retail customers would enter through 159th Street, LaGrange Road or 161st Street while delivery drivers would enter through the south or west, coming off of 161st Street, and have a designated parking area south of the building.

Six acres would be dedicated to open and landscaped space, and Amazon plans to construct a stormwater detention area on the property, according to the plans.

The Plan Commission ultimately approved the proposal 6-1, with Daniel Sanchez voting no due to lingering concerns raised by residents.

“Overall, I think it’s great, I think it’s pretty exciting,” Sanchez said. “Some of the other comments about traffic and overall scale and fit in that location do concern me a little bit.”

The proposal will next move to the Orland Park Village Board for approval, with Mayor Jim Dodge expressing his support for the development last week.

Dodge told the Daily Southtown developer interest for the 35-acre parcel has been high, with the village previously considering to zone it for mixed use including residential.

“It’s a prime spot to be developed,” Dodge said, adding he is “pleased to see it go commercial.”

ostevens@chicagotribune.com

The Orland Park Plan Commission faced a packed Village Hall Tuesday night as residents raised questions and concerns about a proposed Amazon retail development for the busy 159th Street and LaGrange Road intersection.

“How is my life going to be better?” Carol McGury asked the seven Plan Commission members, stressing the project “should not be rushed.”

The proposed nearly 230,000-square-foot commercial retail space at the site of the former Petey’s II restaurant “will likely be one of the first of its kind,” according to Katie Jahnke Dale, a Chicago attorney representing Amazon. It will include items from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods and online goods.

Jahnke Dale told the commission Amazon is aiming to create a more comprehensive shopping experience where visitors to the store in person can use their phone or an in-store kiosk to find items not on the sales floor.

Customers can also order items to be brought to their vehicles, either at the front of the store or in a reserved parking spot.

“Nothing that we’re doing here, though, is different from what we are all experiencing in retail stores that exist today,” Jahnke Dale said. “It’s just done in a more purposeful, thoughtful manner.”

Amazon representatives and village staff said the site would not be used as a warehouse, a concern of some residents and members of the Plan Commission.

“I think I’m satisfied that this is a retail center,” Commissioner John Paul said, checking with village staff to make sure Amazon couldn’t turn the building into a warehouse if its retail concept fails.

Other concerns raised Tuesday largely surrounded traffic issues.

The village presented plans to abate traffic by extending Ravinia Avenue east to connect to 161st Street, potentially rerouting 25% of the intersection’s eastbound right and northbound left-turning traffic. However, the Amazon facility could be completed before the road extension.

Orland Park also hopes to coordinate with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Cook County to make other traffic improvements, including replacing the traffic signal at the 159th Street and 94th Avenue intersection and adding right-turn and left-turn lanes on at least some approaches.

“The village has been working on this project for over 10 years,” Orland Park Engineering Director Khurshid Hoda said.

He said this development is not the cause of traffic problems.

“Even if you go out today, we have all experienced it, that intersection is operating at a very congested level,” Hoda said.

Alongside the retail building would be 837 parking spaces and seven loading docks, according to Amazon’s application.

Retail customers would enter through 159th Street, LaGrange Road or 161st Street while delivery drivers would enter through the south or west, coming off of 161st Street, and have a designated parking area south of the building.

Six acres would be dedicated to open and landscaped space, and Amazon plans to construct a stormwater detention area on the property, according to the plans.

The Plan Commission ultimately approved the proposal 6-1, with Daniel Sanchez voting no due to lingering concerns raised by residents.

“Overall, I think it’s great, I think it’s pretty exciting,” Sanchez said. “Some of the other comments about traffic and overall scale and fit in that location do concern me a little bit.”

The proposal will next move to the Orland Park Village Board for approval, with Mayor Jim Dodge expressing his support for the development last week.

Dodge told the Daily Southtown developer interest for the 35-acre parcel has been high, with the village previously considering to zone it for mixed use including residential.

“It’s a prime spot to be developed,” Dodge said, adding he is “pleased to see it go commercial.”

ostevens@chicagotribune.com