Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
A vacant restaurant building along South MacArthur Boulevard was demolished Thursday to make room for a new eatery, one in a series of planned redevelopments along the bustling corridor. Developer Corky Joyner purchased the property at 1710 S. MacArthur, which will become the second local location for Pie’s the Limit, a “fast-casual” pizza restaurant.
The MacArthur property has housed a variety of different restaurants for decades, most recently the fine-dining establishment Ross Isaac, which was shuttered in 2014. The current plans call for a 3,200-square-foot pizzeria with an outdoor seating area. Documents for a building permit will be submitted to the city next week. The hope is to be open by fall, Joyner said.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who represents the area, said he thinks the new restaurant will be a good fit for the area – both for the heavily trafficked commercial corridor itself and the nearby neighborhoods. “MacArthur Boulevard has seen a resurgence of interest,” he said. “It’s a deserved resurgence.”
McMenamin called the investment “really significant,” because it will dramatically increase the property’s value, creating additional revenue for the MacArthur tax increment financing district.
Local restaurateurs Vic Lanzotti and Chris Hanken opened the first Pie’s the Limit late last year in the Parkway Pointe shopping center on the west side.
In the past five years, there have been eight demolitions along South MacArthur of one kind or another, including the former Esquire Theatre building near the intersection of MacArthur and South Grand Avenue, where Ruler Foods and Dollar General stores have been proposed.
The 2014 opening of the Hy-Vee grocery store on MacArthur marked a big change for the area, when it replaced an abandoned Kmart. Landscaping is part of the plans for the exterior of Pie’s the Limit, which will be a new masonry-and-stucco building, Joyner said.
“Landscaping is important because that’s part of the long-term vision for MacArthur – a visually attractive retail environment,” McMenamin said.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 