New Chipotle restaurant planned for East State Street and Arnold Avenue in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new Chipotle restaurant with a drive-thru pickup window is planned for the southwest corner of East State Street and Arnold Avenue, in front of the State Street Square retail center that includes Flow and other businesses.

Real estate developer First Midwest Group has requested a special-use permit from the city to build a 2,325-square-foot restaurant in front of the shopping center. The restaurant would have indoor sit-down seating and a drive-thru window for picking up online and mobile app orders. There is no menu board for drive-up ordering.

“When you receive a notification your food is ready, you drive up to that site window, pick up your food and go,” Cassandra Crandall, assistant general counsel for First Midwest Group, told members of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday. “So there are no lines of cars waiting to take their order, and then waiting for their food to be prepared.”

The restaurant would be in addition to the existing Chipotle at 751 S. Perryville Road, according to information the developer has shared with the city. There is no set timeline for construction or opening.

The development would bring the Tex-Mex chain to a busy stretch of roadway with approximately 30,000 vehicles passing by each day, according to Illinois Department of Transportation daily traffic estimates.

The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday gave 6-0 approval to the project. The matter will go before the City Council’s Planning and Development Committee on Monday before a full City Council vote the following week.

City staff have recommended approving the project with conditions that also address other issues on the site by removing and replacing outdated signage, installing missing sidewalks and adding improved landscaping.

“The proposed redevelopment of the existing shopping center to accommodate a new drive-thru Chipotle restaurant presents an opportunity to revitalize the site while addressing longstanding nonconformities,” city staff wrote in its report. “These upgrades will not only support the success of the new restaurant but also enhance the overall appeal and accessibility of the shopping center and the East State Street commercial corridor.”

This would be the second Chipotle in Rockford. There is also a Chipotle at 7190 E. Riverside Blvd. in Loves Park and 1570 West Lane Road in Machesney Park.

A Chipotle, along with a Starbucks, is also planned for the Dodge Lanes bowling alley site in Belvidere.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas