Old Brunswick site in Algonquin will soon host self-storage business nearly four years after approval

Nearly four years after receiving its original approval, a long-vacant spot in Algonquin is expected to be home to three new businesses by the end of the year.

The building at 2075 E. Algonquin Road, which used to be a Brunswick bowling alley, soon will host a climate-controlled self-storage site and be paired with a new Popeyes restaurant and a car wash, both of which will be built in the building’s out lot.

The Popeyes restaurant is close to wrapping up, with the plan to have it completed in the next three months or so, Algonquin Community Development Director Jason Shallcross said. The storage site and car wash should be ready by the end of the year.

Construction on the car wash, however, has yet to start, developer Steven Schwartz with Pearl Street Commercial LLC said. It’s expected that the car wash developer will start construction by mid-May.

“We expect the development and the climate-controlled facility will do well,” Schwartz said.

Originally approved in December 2019, the project lingered because of other projects in the pipeline.

Demolition and construction on the site started last fall – more than two years after it originally was approved – with much work needed on the Brunswick building, Shallcross said. The site had a mini-golf site and batting cages, which meant a lot to remove.

“It would be done right now if not for the demolition,” Shallcross said.

The former Brunswick site has sat dormant for more than a decade and didn’t see much interest from developers in that time, Shallcross said.

As Brunswick locations, as well as big box stores, have closed down in communities across the country, municipalities have been left to figure out how best to fill the spots.

Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine, who at the time of the approval was a trustee and did not support filling the spot with a storage business, said she is OK with it today. It adds businesses to the east side of town, “which we need.”

However, she wished the project had been developed quicker. The site had been an “eyesore” for many years at the time drove the Village Board’s interest to get something in the spot, Sosine said.

“I would have preferred something different than a self-storage business,” she said. “But multiple businesses make [the development] stronger. … It will be beneficial to the community.”

A majority of Algonquin’s self-storage businesses are located in the same area as the new one, Shallcross said. Most of those were created in spots that were unincorporated but eventually annexed by Algonquin.

The closest one to the new site, a SmartStop Self Storage, is less than 1,000 feet away, according to map data.

“I would have preferred something different than a self-storage business. ... But multiple businesses make [the development] stronger.

—  Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine on converting the old Brunswick building

While the village is host to several of these businesses, there is still “unmet demand,” Schwartz said.

“There’s a demand for it in town,” Shallcross said. “People have a lot of stuff.”

Other communities in the past also have noted the difficulty in filling large commercial spaces, as there’s only so many businesses that can justify the space.

In Algonquin’s case, the spot is more than five acres in size and tens of thousands of square feet, Shallcross said.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Algonquin also has eliminated many of its vacancies in town, with its number of unfilled spots at a 10-year low, Shallcross said. Just over 5% of spots are sitting vacant, which Shallcross described as “incredible.”

Some of those spots include Fun City, a child entertainment venue, occupying the old Stein Mart on Randall Road, Ashley Furniture and Home Store relocating to a 100,000 square-foot spot in Algonquin Commons, with their old spot being taken by an antique mall, and the former Best Buy possibly being used for a temporary purpose.

“Anything less than 5% is considered a tight market,” Shallcross said. “Even with the key vacancies we do have, there is a lot of interest.”

Bringing in businesses is something on which the village remains focused, Sosine said. The best way to attract those larger companies is to bring in more residents. Some projects, such as expanding the village’s sewage capabilities, is laying the foundation for that to happen.

“I’m very secure what’s going in there will be beneficial to the community,” Sosine said. “We’re always looking for ways to enhance the business community.”