Amazon is moving forward with plans for what could be its largest retail store ever, a roughly 229,000-square-foot big-box shop in Orland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. That footprint would be larger than a typical Walmart Supercenter.
The Orland Park Plan Commission voted 6-1 on Jan. 13 to approve the project and send it to the village board for a final vote scheduled for Jan. 19. If the board signs off, construction could begin this spring, and the store could open in late 2027.
Plans call for full grocery offerings, household essentials, and general merchandise, directly challenging Walmart’s traditional big-box format.
An official press release from the Village of Orland Park says the proposal reflects strong interest from Amazon and confidence in the local market and infrastructure.
“When a global retailer of this scale is considering investment in Orland Park, it sends a strong signal about the vitality of our community and the strategic importance of this corridor,” Mayor Jim Dodge said in the release. “This type of investment supports not only our local economy but also well-paying jobs during construction and beyond.”
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Amazon spokespersons have described the concept as bringing together elements of Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and the company’s digital shopping strengths under one roof, though the company has not yet disclosed an official name for the format.
Analysts see the move as a sign that Amazon wants physical stores at scale to compete head-on with Walmart. Some data shows that 93% of Amazon customers also shop at Walmart, and online still accounts for less than 20% of U.S. retail spending.
Not everyone is sold. At the planning meeting, some residents raised questions about traffic impacts and what a massive retail presence could mean for the community’s character. A crowd at a recent hearing said they didn’t want added congestion and expressed concerns about how the development would affect local quality of life.
Traffic concerns are already being reviewed by the village and state transportation officials, including proposals for new turn lanes and signal upgrades around the busy intersection.
If approved by the village board on Jan. 19, the Orland Park store would mark Amazon’s most direct challenge yet to Walmart’s big-box dominance, and could shape how Amazon approaches large-format physical retail in the future.
