JOLIET — While economic development has slowed under Mayor Terry D'Arcy’s leadership, 2024 has seen one notable achievement in the city: the construction of a new Starbucks coffeehouse on West Jefferson Street. The new building is rising on the site of the former Bakers Square restaurant, which permanently closed in March 2019.

The Starbucks project, being led by the Seattle-based company, is expected to open its doors by early 2025. The site was previously considered for a marijuana dispensary in 2022, when Emerald Coast, on behalf of Justice Cannabis Company, sought a special use permit. However, the Joliet City Council never voted on the proposal.

The cannabis dispensary plan, which would have involved a $1.1 million renovation and the hiring of local union workers, had promised to bring significant financial benefits, including a projected $14,000 annual property tax increase. The dispensary was expected to generate between $12 million to $20 million in annual gross receipts, with the city benefiting from a 3% sales tax. However, the project was eventually sidelined, and Starbucks took the reins.

In October, a protest by Laborers Local 75 marked the area, with inflatable rats placed outside the former Bakers Square building in response to the choice of Prairie Concrete, a non-union company, for the Starbucks construction. Despite the protest, the project is moving forward, signaling a positive development for the city.

“It's great to see new projects like this happening in Joliet, even as we work through challenges in other areas of economic development,” said D'Arcy.