Politics & Government

More Orland Plaza Demolition Scheduled for Late March

The Orland Park Village Board will vote on their next meeting to tear down the middle of the former Orland Plaza building, making way for further work on the Main Street Triangle.

The next phase of demolition on the former Orland Plaza building is slated to begin later in March, pending a final approval from the Orland Park Village Board.

Bechstein Construction Corporation of Tinley Park is the village staff’s recommended choice for the demolition work, with the lowest offer out of 10 total bids. For $106,900, the company offered to tear down the structure from where the Plaza Café used to reside up to the Gee-Schussler Insurance office, which will remain for the time being along with the Marquette Bank office.

No plans have been decided upon for what will be built in that space once the structure section is removed, said Orland Park Village Manager Paul Grimes.

Find out what's happening in Orland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“”We’re still working on that,” Grimes said. “We’re out there marketing it.”

The contract does not include removing remaining concrete slab or basement areas under that structure. Since a dry cleaning business used to occupy space in that section of the plaza, some soil testing needs to be done before more construction can take place, Grimes said.

Find out what's happening in Orland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If approved by the full board at the March 18 meeting, the demolition will be the next phase in the lengthy and divisive plan to turn the area between 143rd Street, LaGrange Road and the Metra Southwest Service tracks into the Main Street Triangle.

The first new development within the triangle, since the village purchased the property after several years of negotiations ending with eminent domain proceedings, is the Ninety 7 Fifty on the Park apartment complex. Construction continues on the development, though the first of three sections of apartments within the building is scheduled to open for rent in spring.

Indianapolis-based developer Flaherty and Collins is operating a leasing office inside one of the vacated plaza spaces. The company will likely move the office within the apartment complex prior to the demolition, Grimes said.

Read our previous Main Street Triangle and Orland Plaza articles.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There are plenty of ways to keep up on local news:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here