Future Land Use
River Oaks Corridor (2) River Oaks Mall has been a dominant regional shopping center since its opening in 1966. Once a smaller outdoor mall, its enclosure and expansion in the mid 1990’s made it the largest shopping center in the south suburbs. With its close proximity to Interstate 80 and variety of stores, it remains a large commercial influence in the entire region. It is currently anchored by Macy’s and JC Penny. The River Oaks West development is located on the west side of Torrence Avenue across from the mall. This development includes as much if not more retail space, including major retailers like Target, Sam’s Club and Office Max. Combined, the River Oaks Mall and the River Oaks West development offer residents and nearby communities extensive shopping opportunities. Market Factors Key points within this commercial area include: • The Mall is owned by the Simons Group, one of the nation’s leading mall operators. The mall lost two major tenants in 2013 (Carson’s and Sears). Some recent development of outlots has occurred, including a Sonic Drive-in and a Starbuck’s anchored strip center. Additional opportunities exist in and around the mall (see discussion below). • The River Oaks West area is doing well, with many major retailers (see map) • This area has the high traffic counts desired by retail and restaurant uses, with 26,000 to 27,000 ADT on both Torrence Avenue and River Oaks Drive/159th Street. • The area is well served by Pace Bus service, with the mall acting as a major transfer point between bus routes (routes 353, 358, and 364 all intersect at the mall). • Both Torrence Avenue and River Oaks Drive/159th Street are under the jurisdiction of IDOT. • Calumet City has been pursuing a potential casino along the Little Calumet River on the south side of the River Oaks Mall property. Construction of a casino will require a license by the State of Illinois. Currently, the state has no available casino licenses. Legislation to add additional casinos has been proposed, and a site somewhere in the south suburbs has been included in that legislation. However, even if the state ultimately authorizes additional casinos, additional negotiations will be needed to determine the final site within the south suburbs. • This area has over 227,400 residents within a 15 minute drive of the Torrence/159th Street intersection (see Table A.2).
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Calumet City Comprehensive Plan
4 Examples of Exterior Mall Treatment (Chicago Ridge Mall)