By Addison Wright | [email protected] | Aurora Beacon-News
PUBLISHED: April 6, 2026 at 5:05 AM CDT
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Mokena will soon welcome a bank, a hotel with an indoor pool and three restaurants, including a Hawaiian Grill and a food truck park, in the corridor between LaGrange Road and 191st Street as part of a larger plan to develop the area, said Village Adminstrator John Tomasoski.
Construction should begin this spring on three of the developments. Construction began on Lakeside Bank, at 19994 S. LaGrange Road, in late March, Tomasoski said.
The developments are part of an effort to develop the village’s corridors and arrive as the village is developing a comprehensive plan to inform developments for the next 10 to 15 years, Tomasoski said. He said these five developments open opportunities for continued growth in the corridor, which he said might soon include a residential development.
Three of the developments are located within 0.2 miles of each other on South LaGrange Road. Two restaurants, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill and Crisp and Green, are to operate in a 3,636-square-foot multitenant building on the vacant parcel at 19950 S. LaGrange Road.
The development would also include areas for parking, a drive-through lane, pedestrian and vehicle access, trash enclosure, lighting, signage and landscaping, according to plans from OM Group, the developer.
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is expected to be a quick-serve restaurant with a drive-through facility that serves comfort food in plate lunch style, an homage to the Hawaiian plate lunch, according to the proposal.
Expected hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Sunday, according to developer plans.
Crisp and Green is a part of a larger chain founded in 2016 that aims to offer convenient, healthy salads, grain bowls and smoothies with genuine hospitality.
Expected hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The Village Board approved the developments March 9.
Lakeside Bank, a two-story, 8,400-square-foot commercial bank with three drive-through lanes, is to be built up the road from the restaurants on property that includes wetlands, said Tomasoski.
Tomasoski said the wetlands on the property make it difficult and pricey to develop, but the bank was willing to take on the challenges.
“It was kind of win win to find that right fit, and it’s going to be a beautiful building,” he said. “Other places, they just weren’t going to spend that kind of money to develop the land.”
The Village Board approved the development Feb. 23.
A 9,882-square-foot restaurant and mobile food truck venue called Emerald Social is to be built at 10020 W. 191st St., near 191st Street and LaGrange Road, about 2 miles from Hawaiian Bros Island Grill and Crisp and Green, according to development plans.
Developers Katie McEnery and Kelly Devine said the restaurant will be 5,965 square feet and include gaming, a relaxed café with soft seating and a communal family table, open from morning through evening, according to plan records. It will also include a main room with high-top tables for lunch and dinner service and a flexible event space.
The restaurant will also feature Emerald Cup Coffee, founded by the developers, and Pizza di Farfella, created by Chef Giovanni Oriente of New Lenox.
The outdoor space and patio would be 3,917 square feet and include a stage for entertainment, outdoor seating and access to a variety of food trucks, which the developers called a food truck park.
The patio space would also include a fenced-in childrens play area with rubber mulch and rubber tires at various heights, plans show.
The restaurant will be within Olivieri Business Park, which was annexed in 2004 and approved as a planned unit development. The business park is 18 acres and includes a variety of uses including retail, restaurants, office and light industrial, according to the development proposal.
The Village Board approved the rezoning and development proposal Oct. 13, 2025.
“We wanted restaurants that could serve the community well and that were going to be different and unique that would not only draw people from Mokena but the surrounding areas,” Tomasoski said.
A four-story Staybridge Suites hotel and a retail building are to be developed in the Meridian Centre commercial development, at the southwest corner of Meridian Drive and west of Meridian Circle.
The development marks Mokena’s first upscale, extended-stay hotel offering a higher-tier alternative to existing options such as Holiday Inn Express and Super 8, according to a February village memo.
The hotel will be 78,145 square feet and the retail building will be 4,708 square feet, according to plans. Construction is to begin this spring. Developers include Sunny Patel, Shailesh Patel and Amitabh Shah of Lux Hospitality, in partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group and the property owner Trinity 19100 Land Development.
The hotel will feature 96 guest rooms, including one-bedroom suites and a smart studio concept tailored for short-term guests. The brand aims to serve travelers who desire a residential style hotel experience with accommodations suited for extended stays, according to plans.
The hotel will also iclude a shared lounge and outdoor area with guest grilling stations and covered seating, along with a fitness center, 1,058 square feet of office space, a retail building that can accommodate up to four tenants and 125 parking spaces, according to plans.
The Village Board approved the development Feb. 26.
The developments arrive as the village works to update its comprehensive plan for the next 10 to 15 years. The village’s previous plan was adopted in 2002.
Tomasoski encouraged residents to get involved in plan development and said residents can find more information and give feedback at planmokena.org.
He said in March residents can expect a workshop to get resident feedback for the comprehensive plan.
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