Chiropractic office approved for Foxfire Plaza in Palatine

Palatine village council members Monday night approved a proposal for a chiropractor's office that has plans to gradually expand into other services such as Chinese herbal medicine at Rand and Hicks roads.

Foundations Spine & Well-Necessities will open in two tenant spaces covering roughly a combined 2,400 square feet in Foxfire Plaza, which is anchored by Butera Market. The medical office will be adjacent to Papa Ray's Pizza and Wings fronting Rand Road.

Council members at Monday evening's meeting approved a special-use permit for Foundations to open next door to the restaurant. Ben Vyverberg, Palatine's director of building and zoning, said the projected traffic to the medical facility could boost business elsewhere in Foxfire Plaza with a "turn of the dollar" if someone with an appointment visits the pizza restaurant or other tenants there.

"I know we're looking for in our shopping centers diversity in tenants, so if you have a medical office, we need to ensure that's included in some type of retail use," Vyverberg said.

Foundations plans to start with chiropractic services, according to owner Dr. Vartan Chakalian. The chiropractor said a gradual expansion of services is expected to include Chinese herbal medicine, diet and nutrition advice, acupuncture and physical therapy.

Foundations projects 10 to 30 patient visits per hour in the beginning. By the fifth year, 30 to 50 patients an hour - many of them family members arriving together - are expected to seek services.

At a Palatine zoning board of appeals hearing last month, Chakalian said there is a community need for the chiropractic office he intends to open off Rand. He said he and two other employees would work at Foundations in the beginning, but more hires are projected as the business expands.

Vyverberg said Foundations must apply for a building permit to renovate its space. A tentative occupancy date is not yet known.