Burr Ridge Considers Details of Movie Theater, Bowling Alley Proposal

The question of whether would benefit from the addition of a movie theater and bowling alley was one the village board asked itself Monday night. The last time the question came up in 1996, public meetings were filled with more than a thousand people who came to voice their opinions, and many residents thought the answer was a resounding "No."

But with the changes in the economy, the village is now wondering whether it is time to revisit the issue.

Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said he remembered how strongly some residents felt about the idea the last time it came up in 1996.

"I was around. I went to those meetings that you were at. I remember how volatile they got, and I certainly don’t want to be sitting in this chair trying to bring up something that was a sore spot with the village," said Grasso. "[But] I would be remiss in not bringing this to the board, not bringing this to the public."

Two weeks ago, a company approached the mayor with an idea to build two separate, self standing buildings next to TCF bank, across from Topaz, that would house a theater and bowling alley.

The proposed businesses would occupy seven to eight acres between the TCF building at 800 Burr Ridge Parkway and the Teamster building at 1000 Burr Ridge Parkway.

Details of the bowling alley proposal included:

• An 18-lane bowling alley, with 14 lanes for general use and 4 lanes reserved for corporate/private events
• A space for pool tables near the reserved lanes
• A lounge area
• A dozen or more TVs that would be tuned into sporting events around the country
• Outdoor seating in the summer

Details of the movie theater proposal included:

• A theater with a maximum of 14 screens, with 10 screens for the public and 4 screens reserved for private events, such as the streaming of live events from other parts of the country
• 50 to 100 seats per screen
  

"It’s my understanding that this group is not interested in just the theater or just the bowling," said Grasso, who did not disclose the names of the developers, who approached him. Grasso said the discussion was still in the preliminary stages, and he was bringing the idea to the board just for feedback.

Grasso said 400 parking spaces would be added to accomodate customers of the venues and part of the deal was that 200 to 250 parking spaces from the TCF bank would be used at night, for a total of about 600 parking stalls.

"Parking could come from the surrounding office buildings," said Village Administrator Steve Stricker. "On weekends, there is a lot of unused asphalt in the village."

The board said they wanted to conduct a traffic study to determine how the new venues would impact traffic flow and see whether a traffic light would be needed near . The village board also said they wanted to reach out to residents of the nearby Chasemoor community for their thoughts.

In addition to traffic studies and other information that would have to be gathered before the board can make an informed decision, Grasso said he also wanted to ask the public's opinion on the idea.

"I'm asking anyone who's listening tonight. Is this a good idea? Bad idea? I need your input," said Grasso.