The developers of a huge Ford dealership proposed for the North Side are giving Chicago politicians until the end of next month to quit futzing around with their zoning application or risk losing an investment worth more than $50 million in the city.

"Oct. 1 is the final deadline," Monica Sekulich, senior vice president and general counsel at Fox Motors, told me in a phone conversation. "This entire situation has been quite surprising to us."

Ms. Sekulich was on vacation and unavailable for comment last week when I wrote a column for this week's issue of Crain's about how Fox proposes to build a $57 million, 102,000-square-foot dealership on an old industrial site near Elston and Fullerton avenues, but has hit a political roadblock — even though local Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, is all for it. The full-service dealership would employ about 200 people, and the development represents a turning of the tide after decades of auto businesses mostly fleeing to the suburbs.

As I reported, City Council Zoning Committee Chairman Danny Solis, 25th, has twice held up a vote on a needed rezoning, requesting that Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Co. provide another dealership opportunity for a Latino — a specific Latino, who just happens to be a large campaign contributor to Mr. Solis' ward organization. But Ford says it isn't awarding new dealerships to anyone, and Fox, a division of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based FMG Holdings LLC, is a relatively small firm busy on the proposed 32nd Ward project.

Anyhow, Ms. Sekulich, now that she's back at work, says the firm will rely on promises from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office that its zoning application will come up for a committee vote on Sept. 4 and in the full council later that month.

Ms. Sekulich was diplomatic about it all. But she confirms that given the City Council stall, Fox had to extend a purchase option on the property that was due to expire on Aug. 1. That's going to be the last extension, she indicated.

"From our experience, when you go through zoning, it has to do with whether you're complying with the law," Ms. Sekulich said. "We're frustrated by the (Chicago) process. But we're optimists. . . .We are excited about doing this deal."

Fox now apparently has discovered the real law of Chicago politics: Let no outstretched palm go unfilled.