NORMAL - A $41.5 million, 76-acre development in north Normal gained two restaurants but lost another theater chain, the developer announced at a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday.

A 14-screen Carmike Cinemas is no longer part of the plans at the proposed Constitution Trail Centre at Raab Road and Main Street, said Darren Hicks, a principal of DKC Development Ventures.

A theater company will locate there within the next three years, however, said Hicks, who would not disclose the name until contracts are signed. St. Louis-based Wehrenberg Inc. previously yanked its plans for a theater there to build in west Bloomington instead.

Meanwhile, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and Moe's Southwest Grill joined the list of committed tenants at the development.

They join Schnucks Marketplace, a 78-room AmericInn hotel, LongHorn Steakhouse, Fashion Bug, The Fitness Store and Dollar Tree.

It will be Applebee's second Twin City restaurant and Moe's first venture in Illinois.

Moe's franchise owners Ken Solem and Lincoln-native Gary Sparks moved to the Twin Cities this year from Virginia just to open this restaurant. It should open next fall, serving a variety of Tex-Mex food, such as burritos, fajitas and tacos.

They call it a "fast-casual" restaurant with entrees ranging from $5 to $7. The Georgia-based chain has more than 300 locations throughout the United States, the closest being in Indiana, Solem said.

"Our plan is to have a couple in the area, but we need to get the first one opened first," Solem said. "We're looking at Bloomington, Champaign, possibly Peoria."

The committed tenants are part of the first phase of development opening next year, led by a mid-July opening of Schnucks, Hicks said. That phase also includes unnamed retailers, restaurants, a bank and a gas station. In all, the first phase will include about 30 businesses.

Other tenants will be announced in the next six months, he said.

A second construction phase would finish in about three years and potentially include a theater and a big-box store. The big-box store, Hicks added, could be broken up into smaller retailers.

After about seven years of negotiations and ownership changes, developers broke ground Wednesday to the delight of town officials.

"It brings services to an area that is growing. This is really going to make this area come alive," said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.

Several developers have filed plans for the project over the last seven years, eventually leading to DKC, a joint venture with Dial Properties of Nebraska, Clary Development Corporation of Arkansas and Coral Ridge Companies of Michigan.

That group purchased the land for $6.8 million from Bloomington-Normal Ventures.

Centre tenants

Here's what is on tap for the Constitution Trail Centre under development at Raab Road and Main Street in Normal:

• Schnucks Marketplace, the anchor, will open in mid-July along Raab Road. At about 58,000 square feet, it will be smaller than the 72,000-square-foot Schnucks on East Empire Street in Bloomington but should offer the same services.

• A 78-room AmericInn hotel with pool and waterslides will open along Main Street.

• LongHorn Steakhouse, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and Moe's Southwest Grill should open next fall also.

• Fashion Bug, The Fitness Store and Dollar Tree also should open next year.

• The first phase, which should be finished late next year, also includes several unnamed retailers, restaurants, a bank and a gas station. In all, the first phase will include about 30 businesses.

• An unnamed movie theater and big-box retailer should open later, within the next three years. The big-box store could be broken into smaller retailers.

SOURCES: DKC Development Ventures, Darren Hicks, a DKC principal, and Ray Warren, Schnucks division manager for Central Illinois.

Compiled by Scott Miller