Thai Town center open

by CYRYL JAKUBOWSKI

The long-delayed Thai Town Center on the former site of the 17th (Albany Park) District police station, 4461 N. Pulaski Road, opened its doors on July 3 as the Taste of Thai Town, according to owner Arun Sampanthavivat.

"It’s been a long and painstaking four years, but we have opened to the public on July 3," Sampanthavivat said. The center will feature a restaurant, a spa, a wellness center and office space. The project received funds from the Lawrence-Pulaski Tax Increment Financing District.

"This will be an accessible restaurant, and it will be casual dining, unlike my other restaurant," Sampanthavivat said. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner will be served from 5 to 10 p.m.

The old station, which was built in 1938, has been closed since the new 17th District station, 4650 N. Pulaski Road, opened in 2005. Plans to open the center have been in the works since 2011, but delays with funding and construction delayed the project.