Six Corners Is Getting a Major Makeover: New Aldi, Pita Inn, Burlington, and Housing Are All Arriving at Once
By Socialhood News · Portage Park ·
If you've driven through Six Corners lately and noticed the construction activity near the old Sears footprint, you're not imagining things — one of Portage Park's most storied commercial intersections is in the middle of a genuine transformation. Several long-anticipated development projects are converging at once, and the cumulative picture is one of the most significant bursts of new investment the area has seen in years.
The most imminent arrival is a new Aldi grocery store at 3930 N. Kilpatrick Avenue, right in the heart of Six Corners. According to Chicago Urbanize, a foundation permit has already been issued for the store, and the project is expected to be completed later this fall. For a neighborhood that has long watched storefronts sit empty at this intersection, a full-service grocery anchor is exactly the kind of anchor tenant that signals momentum — and gives residents a practical, everyday reason to shop local rather than drive out to a suburban strip mall.
The Aldi is just one piece of a broader redevelopment taking shape at the former Sears Auto Center site at 4035 N. Cicero Ave. According to the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce, Novak Construction — the same developer behind the Six Corners Lofts luxury apartments — is building three standalone structures on the property. The tenants confirmed for the project include a Pita Inn restaurant (which would be the first Pita Inn location within Chicago city limits), a Burlington department store, and a Wells Fargo bank branch. The Chamber noted that completion was projected for late 2026, meaning residents could be walking through those doors before the year is out.
Pita Inn, the beloved suburban Mediterranean chain with a devoted following across the northwest suburbs, has never had a Chicago address. Its arrival at Six Corners would be a genuine first — the kind of destination draw that brings diners from well outside the immediate neighborhood and puts Portage Park on a wider culinary map. Burlington, meanwhile, fills a real retail gap at an intersection that lost its Sears anchor years ago. Taken together, these three tenants represent the kind of diversified commercial mix — food, fashion, and financial services — that urban planners and community advocates have been calling for at Six Corners for the better part of a decade.
The residential side of the neighborhood's growth story is moving quickly as well. Chicago Urbanize reports that a full building permit was issued in March for a new four-story building at 4301 N. Milwaukee Avenue, which will contain nine units and ground-floor retail. Separately, a permit was issued on September 30 for a new three-story, three-unit residence at 4514 N. Central Avenue, according to Chicago YIMBY. That project — reported at a cost of $300,000 and tied to the property owner listed as 4512 Central LLC — comes with six parking spaces, suggesting the units may be designed as larger condominiums rather than rentals. Demolition of the existing structure is expected to begin promptly now that the permit is in hand.
These projects don't exist in a vacuum. Six Corners has been on a slow but steady climb back from a long retail slump that deepened after the Sears store on Irving Park Road closed. The intersection — where Irving Park Road, Milwaukee Avenue, and Cicero Avenue converge — was once one of the busiest shopping districts on Chicago's Northwest Side. The arrival of the Clarendale Six Corners senior living development (a 10-story project that topped off earlier this year) added hundreds of new residents to the immediate area, building a customer base that is now starting to attract the retail and dining operators who follow rooftops.
For Portage Park residents, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the corner of your neighborhood that has felt the most unfinished for the longest time is now the one with the most construction cranes. The new Aldi at 3930 N. Kilpatrick is on track for a fall 2026 opening — keep an eye on the site as the season progresses. For updates on the Pita Inn, Burlington, and Wells Fargo timeline at 4035 N. Cicero, the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce at portageparkchamber.org is your best source for announcements as tenants post their opening dates.
Are you most excited about having a Pita Inn within city limits for the first time, or is the new Aldi the development that has you marking your calendar? Have you watched any of the construction activity near Six Corners firsthand? Share your take with the Socialhood community — and tag a neighbor who has been waiting on this corner to come back to life.
Sources:
1. https://chicago.urbanize.city/neighborhood/portage-park
2. https://www.portageparkchamber.org/news/exciting-new-developmentscoming-to-six-corners
3. https://chicagoyimby.com/2026/10/three-flat-approved-as-demolition-awaits-at-4512-north-central-avenue-in-portage-park.html