Six Corners Is About to Get Its Biggest Retail Arrival in Years — and One of Them Is a Chicago First
By Socialhood News · Portage Park ·
Something significant is taking shape at the corner of N. Cicero Avenue in Portage Park, and the neighborhood's chamber of commerce wants residents to know: Six Corners is on the verge of one of its most consequential commercial arrivals in recent memory.
The Portage Park Chamber of Commerce recently announced that three new businesses are set to open at 4035 N. Cicero Ave. — the site of the former Sears Auto Center — with completion projected for late 2026. The incoming tenants are Pita Inn, Burlington, and a Wells Fargo branch. Of the three, Pita Inn carries a distinction that will resonate with anyone who has made the drive to the suburbs for its beloved Mediterranean fare: this will be the first Pita Inn restaurant located in Chicago. The chain has long been a Northwest Side institution in spirit — drawing loyal customers from Portage Park and beyond to its suburban locations — and its arrival in the neighborhood it has long served from a distance is a genuinely meaningful milestone.
The development is being led by Novak Construction, the same developer behind the 6 Corners Lofts luxury apartments. Novak plans to build three standalone buildings that will not only offer new shopping and dining options but will also provide a fresh boost to the local economy. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with completion projected for late 2026. That timeline, if it holds, would mean Portage Park residents could be walking into a brand-new Pita Inn — steps from the Six Corners intersection — before the year is out.
The choice of 4035 N. Cicero Ave. is itself significant. The former Sears Auto Center site has sat in transition as the broader Six Corners area has absorbed a wave of new investment in recent years. Six Corners is a commercial area in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, which was the largest commercial center in Chicago outside of the Loop for most of the 20th century. That history casts a long shadow over every new development at the intersection — and also gives each new arrival a sense of purpose. Filling in a former auto center site with active retail, a dining anchor, and a bank branch is exactly the kind of layered, mixed-use investment that Six Corners has needed.
The timing aligns with other large-scale development activity already underway nearby. Construction is slated to begin on a $120 million redevelopment project at the former People's Gas site, which will include retail stores and 251 apartments. The first phase, which includes the project's retail portion, is expected to be ready by summer 2027, with renters likely able to start moving into the residential portion by the following fall. Taken together, these two projects — the Novak Construction retail development at the old Sears Auto Center and the Prairie Ridge Development overhaul of the former People's Gas site — represent hundreds of millions of dollars of investment flowing into Portage Park's commercial corridors within the same window.
These new additions to the Six Corners neighborhood are another step forward in revitalizing the area, creating jobs, and enhancing the local lifestyle — and the community can look forward to a vibrant and modern destination right in the heart of the neighborhood, the Chamber noted in its announcement. For residents who have watched the intersection evolve slowly over the past decade, the pace of change in this final stretch of 2026 is something different.
Practically speaking, keep an eye on the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce's website and social channels for updates on construction progress and confirmed opening dates for Pita Inn, Burlington, and the Wells Fargo branch at 4035 N. Cicero Ave. The Chamber has committed to tracking the project's milestones as they unfold.
Have you been waiting for a Pita Inn to open on the Northwest Side? Which of the three new Six Corners arrivals are you most excited about — and what does this development say to you about where the neighborhood is headed? Share your take with the Socialhood community and tag a neighbor who needs to hear this news.
Sources:
1. https://www.portageparkchamber.org/news/exciting-new-developmentscoming-to-six-corners
2. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/05/long-awaited-overhaul-of-peoples-gas-site-in-portage-park-could-start-this-summer/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Corners