Waukegan Land for Sale - Far North
1.5-ACRE COMMERCIAL CORNER — GREEN BAY ROAD (IL 131) & BROOKSIDE AVE — B3 GENERAL COMMERCIAL — WAUKEGAN — $600,000
Commercial development land at the corner of Green Bay Road (Illinois Route 131) and Brookside Avenue in Waukegan — approximately 1.5 acres across a four-parcel assemblage with roughly 394 feet of Green Bay Road frontage and about 25,600 vehicles per day on the corridor. Zoned B3 General Commercial under Waukegan's new Unified Development Ordinance — the district written for exactly this: auto-oriented commercial development serving the city and surrounding communities along major arterial roads. Retail, restaurant, office, financial and service development are permitted by right — and so are drive-through facilities, which most towns push through a hearing.
WHY THIS SITE WORKS
Waukegan is the county seat and most populous city in Lake County, and arterial corner acreage inside the city limits is finite. A signalized-corridor corner with nearly 400 feet of state-route frontage fits a drive-through pad (by right in B3), a multi-tenant retail building, a freestanding restaurant, a bank branch, or a professional building serving the city's dense residential base. Conditional-use paths open the site to automotive sales and service, gas station, car wash, hotel or day care formats. Priced at $600,000 — land economics with development upside as Waukegan's revitalization investment continues.
THE SITE
Approximately 1.5 acres (four contiguous tax parcels). Corner position: ~394' of frontage on Green Bay Rd (IL 131) plus ~300' on Brookside Ave. Approximately 25,600 VPD on the Green Bay Road corridor. Buyer to verify boundaries, utilities, access permits, existing site conditions and all entitlements in due diligence.
LOCATION
Green Bay Road (IL 131) is one of Waukegan's primary north-south arterials, connecting the city's west-side commercial corridors to North Chicago, Zion and the Wisconsin line. The site draws from Waukegan's dense surrounding neighborhoods — Lake County's largest population base — with I-94 and Route 41 access connecting to the entire Chicago-Milwaukee corridor, Metra commuter rail service, and an active lakefront redevelopment initiative bringing new public and private investment to the city.
IDEAL FOR
Retail development site, commercial land, corner pad site, drive-thru pad (by right), QSR site, fast food restaurant, coffee drive-thru, restaurant site, bar/tavern, retail strip development, multi-tenant retail, freestanding retail, retail goods establishment, personal services, salon suites, financial institution, bank branch, credit union, professional office, office building, garden center, indoor recreation, indoor entertainment, fitness concept, vocational school, cultural facility, animal boarding, body art establishment, gas station (conditional use), car wash (conditional use), auto dealership (conditional use), motor vehicle sales (conditional use), auto repair and service (conditional use), motor vehicle rental (conditional use), machinery and equipment sales (conditional use), hotel/motel (conditional use), banquet hall (conditional use), day care center (conditional use), laundromat (conditional use), microbrewery or distillery (conditional use), cannabis dispensary (conditional use), funeral home (conditional use), place of worship (conditional use), mixed-use with dwellings above (conditional use), live/work (conditional use), planned unit development, land banking, 1031 land exchange, Green Bay Road commercial, Route 131 corner, Waukegan development site, Lake County commercial land.
PROPERTY FACTS
~1.5 acres commercial land — four contiguous parcels. $600,000. Corner of Green Bay Rd (IL 131) & Brookside Ave — ~394' Green Bay Rd frontage, ~300' Brookside frontage. Approx. 25,600 VPD on the corridor. Zoned B3 General Commercial District, City of Waukegan UDO. Waukegan, Lake County, IL 60085.
Contact Jason Bitton — RE/MAX Commercial — 847-858-2909 — Jason@JasonCRE.com
ZONING: B3 GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT
City of Waukegan Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 8.06.C.3 (district purpose) and Table 9.02-1 (use table) — UDO adopted July 1, 2024, amended October 6, 2025; codified through Ord. No. 26-O-66 (April 20, 2026). District purpose per the UDO: "established to accommodate auto-oriented commercial development that serves the City and surrounding communities... a wide range of commercial, institutional, and limited residential uses primarily along major arterial roads." Permitted uses are allowed by right; conditional uses require a conditional use permit under UDO Sec. 4.08 and are not guaranteed; unlisted uses may be allowed only if the Zoning Administrator deems them similar to a listed use. Verify all uses independently with the City of Waukegan Planning & Zoning Department before purchase — a zoning verification letter is recommended. Broker makes no representation as to approvability of any use.
PERMITTED USES (BY RIGHT): Retail goods establishments. Restaurants. Bars/taverns. Personal services establishments. Professional offices. Financial institutions. Drive-through facilities (subject to use standards). Garden centers. Indoor recreation. Indoor entertainment (small). Vocational schools. Cultural facilities. Animal boarding or shelter. Body art establishments.
CONDITIONAL USES (CUP REQUIRED) INCLUDE: Gas stations. Car washes. Motor vehicle dealerships, sales, rental, and repair/service. Machinery and equipment sales and rental. Fleet management facilities. Hotels/motels. Banquet halls. Convention and exhibition halls. Indoor entertainment (large). Outdoor entertainment and outdoor recreation. Day care centers. Laundromats. Microbreweries and distilleries. Cannabis dispensaries. Funeral homes/crematories. Pawn shops. Title or payday loan establishments. Clubs, lodges and halls. Places of worship. Colleges or universities. Government facilities. Research/development facilities. Dwelling units above or below the ground floor. Live/work dwellings. Residential care facilities. Multi-modal facilities. Planned unit developments. Wireless telecommunication facilities and towers. NOT ALLOWED in B3 include: self-storage, warehousing and distribution, light manufacturing, K-12 schools, bed and breakfasts, casinos, adult entertainment.
