The Center for Dental Excellence is planning a major expansion of its offices in Flossmoor’s “triangle” area, near the junction of Kedzie Avenue and Governors Highway.
At the March 6 meeting, Flossmoor village board members unanimously voted in favor of a package allowing the consolidation and redevelopment of parcels at 19615 and 19601 Governors Highway.
The former First Midwest Bank drive-thru branch, now vacant, is expected to be demolished as part of Center for Dental Excellence’s planned expansion. (Photos by Tom Houlihan/H-F Chronicle)
The Center for Dental Excellence is planning a major expansion of its offices in Flossmoor’s “triangle” area, near the junction of Kedzie Avenue and Governors Highway.
At the March 6 meeting, Flossmoor village board members unanimously voted in favor of a package allowing the consolidation and redevelopment of parcels at 19615 and 19601 Governors Highway. The board approved a conceptual site plan with rezoning and a merger of the two parcels for the construction of a 6,500-square-foot addition to the current Center for Dental Excellence facility.
Board members also indicated they are in favor of a 12-year, Class 8 property tax exemption for the center. A resolution in favor of the incentive will likely be approved at the next board meeting and forwarded to the Cook County Assessor’s Office.
The center is presently located at 19615 Governors Highway. The current office is 4,100 square feet with parking and storm water detention.
19601 Governors Highway is the site of the former First Midwest Bank drive-thru branch, which has been vacant for two years. The center plans to purchase that parcel, demolish the bank building and construct a one-story addition at the northwest corner of the existing dental office. The new complex will have 72 parking places, using existing curb cuts on both Kedzie and Governors Highway.
Two of the center’s principal dentists, Dr. Cary Goldberg and Dr. Charles Greenebaum, appeared at the meeting with attorney Noah Schmidt.
Construction costs for the project are estimated at between $3 million and $4 million, Schmidt said, adding that 15 to 20 new employees will be hired for the facility.
Goldberg told the board the proposed tax exemption is essential to the project. Without that incentive, he said, the center would not be able to afford the addition.
According to the center, expanding a medical facility costs more than non-medical commercial office space. Property taxes, especially in the south suburbs, are one of the highest costs anticipated in the expansion of the building, center officials said.
Under Cook County’s Class 8 incentive, real estate is assessed at a reduced level for 12 years from the time construction is completed and a reassessment takes place. Class 8 assessment levels are 10 percent of market value for 10 years, 15 percent in year 11 and 20 percent in the 12th year. Without the exemption, the center’s property tax rate would be 25 percent of market value.
Board members were enthusiastic in their support of the expansion.
The center is “a terrific community partner,” according to Mayor Paul Braun.
Trustee Philip Minga said he was happy to see the redevelopment of the former bank area, pointing out that the only other proposed use for the site was a Goodwill collection facility, which would have taken the property off the tax rolls. The village board rejected a rezoning for that purpose.
