The new Mariano’s grocery store opened Oct. 10, near the intersection of routes 43 and 22. It is expected to bring 350 jobs to the area. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

A successful grand opening took place, as Mariano’s opened its doors to the public Oct. 10 in Bannockburn amid large crowds and traffic control provided by the village’s police department. The 74,375-square-foot store of the subsidiary company, Wisconsin-based Roundy’s Foods, Inc. and will include other amenities such as Starbucks, Todd’s BBQ, and a sushi bar.

The store joins what has become a crowded commercial area near the intersection of routes 22 and 43. The Mariano’s, which began construction last spring with the weather break, is situated north of the crossroads by Beeson’s Nursery. The Bannockburn Green Shopping Center, which contains a Heinen’s Grocery as its anchor store, is home to a number of diversified commercial entities including Walgreens, McDonald’s, a PNC Bank, and specialty shops.

“We’re glad Mariano’s chose this location, and is now within the village boundaries, where previously it was unincorporated Lake County,” said Bannockburn Village Manager Marie Lasday. “With a village location, we can better control standards and provide services such as public safety through our police department, rather than through the county and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.”

The process of bringing the high-end grocery store to the area reached a culmination point with five pieces of legislation that were approved by the full Bannockburn Village Board, during its April 11 session. Two of the items revolved around the creation of a specialty taxing district, and the annexation of the parcel into the municipal boundaries.

“There is no tax incentive agreement between the village and the company, although we will share the state portion that’s collected of the retailer’s occupation tax with Lake Forest,” she said. “However, the village will retain its full home-rule tax allotment percentage.”

Bannockburn is situated between Deerfield and Lake Forest, and the latter will receive 40 percent of the 1 percent municipal R.O.T. portion as well as the lower tax rate on items that are nonperishable or unprepared. Bannockburn’s home-rule tax is one-half percent. While the community has an approximate 1,600 population total, the state of Illinois allows for communities with less than 25,000 people to approve a home-rule status through a referendum majority vote.

“At this point, an accurate or estimated sales tax revenue projection has not been calculated at this point,” said the village’s Finance Director Linda McCulloch. “We know the 1 percent amount will be shared with Lake Forest, although the one-half percent home-rule amount will be retained by the village.”

Prior to the property annexation, the Mariano’s site was zoned for a retail classification under the county’s jurisdiction. The village will also generate property tax revenues from the site.

The Kroger Co., also based in Wisconsin, is the parent company of Roundy’s, and the Bannockburn store is the 43^rd location for the chain. The first store opened in Arlington Heights seven years ago, with other county sites in Vernon Hills and Lake Zurich. 

Mariano’s will lease the Bannockburn location through the developer, the Milwaukee-based firm of Continental Properties, Inc., and is expected to bring more than 350 jobs to the area.

–Mariano’s holds grand opening in Bannockburn–