Renovations Could Lead to a Restaurant Opening in the Catholic Charities Building

The Joliet City Council will meet tonight at 6:30p.m. to vote on a tax increment financing (TIF) agreement with prominent Joliet businessman John Bays so he can renovate his downtown Joliet property comely known as the Catholic Charities building. Bays plans to attract a big-name restaurant to the first and second floor of the building with the renovations. This would push the Catholic Charities offices from the second and third floor to the third floor only.

(Photo courtesy of the Joliet Patch)

According to the Joliet Patch, Bays has been involved in several of Joliet's biggest real estate ventures including his turning the once vacant Kline’s building into the Bays Professional Centre. His tenants in the building is the Forge which has been successful since opening earlier this year.

Still according to the Patch, Bays bought the Catholic Charities Building at the corner of Cass and Ottawa Streets about a year ago and has already “made improvements to the building's façade and upgraded its parking lot.”

The first floor is currently for lease while the second and third floors are occupied by Catholic Charities offices. The Patch website says that "The owner's intent ... consists of three future phases including demolition and renovation of the first floor for restaurant/commercial uses; renovation of the basement for commercial use; and renovation of 5,000 square feet of the second floor to shrink the Catholic Charities office footprint to attract a new commercial tenant to the building."

Bays’ agenda packet includes an itemized breakdown of the improvements to be made to the Catholic Charities building. In total, the renovations will cost around $4 million.