Townhouses to be built near Buffalo Grove train station

A 15-unit townhouse development near the Buffalo Grove train station has been approved by the village board.

Buffalo Grove trustees this week agreed to annex nearly two acres at 23020 Easton Ave., in unincorporated Prairie View. Spearhead Properties LLC is developing the project, which will include two-story and three-story buildings.

Along with being near the train station, it also is close to a medical office, an assisted living center and a Buffalo Grove fire station.

Developer Christopher Walsh said the zoning fits within the area.

"We're surrounded by density and commercial," he said at Monday's village board meeting.

Walsh received several variances, including one that allows the 1.83-acre property to be built on, even though it falls short of the two-acre requirement. Walsh said the property would count as two acres in Lake County. However, a portion is being donated to the village.

Walsh was also asking for a height variance from the limit of 35 feet to build up to 41 feet for two three-story buildings on the south end of the property. The extra height, he said, would be attic areas.

Two residents spoke up against the project. Easton Avenue resident Dee Norlin said the project is too dense for the area and the three-story buildings are too tall.

"I don't know why we have to have that many buildings," she said, adding, "I think the height is just too much."

She also lamented the loss of trees and the old farmhouse.

"We have beautiful, tall trees, and, of course, we're going to lose the farmhouse and the barn, which we have looked at for over 30 years."

At an earlier meeting, Walsh pointed out he lives in the area, only a few blocks north of the site. The development will include a private road, built to village standards.