New shopping center proposed for Kildeer
A new shopping center has been proposed for an already busy stretch of Rand Road in Kildeer.
Dubbed the Kildeer Village Square, it would be on land that includes the former Quentin School building, between the Kildeer Marketplace and Shops at Kildeer centers.
The site is across Rand Road from the Deer Park Town Center complex in a retail-heavy corridor.
Developer Rob Bond of the Bond Cos. thinks a new shopping center is a good fit for the area.
"The area between Plum Grove Road and Long Grove Road along Rand Road has emerged as a dominant retail node," said Bond, the firm's president.
Bond's company built and owns the Kildeer Marketplace, which features a Whole Foods supermarket and other stores.
He said the stores along Rand Road draw customers from nearby communities who don't want to deal with the "inconveniences" of shopping at Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall or the other centers there.
Kildeer's plan commission will hold a public hearing about the proposal tonight. That discussion is set for 7:30 p.m. at village hall, 21911 Quentin Road.
Bond has proposed building 180,000 square feet of retail space, including three free-standing buildings.
He declined to say what, if any, retailers have signed up for the new center.
Quentin Elementary School, once part of Lake Zurich Unit District 95, closed in 2009. The Bond Cos. bought the property last year for $1.8 million.
Traffic along Rand Road in the Kildeer area is notoriously slow on weekends and during rush hour. Bond isn't worried a new development will worsen the problem.
"Part of our process is to work with (the Illinois Department of Transportation) and make sure our improvements ... do not create a new burden," he said.
Although the land is in Kildeer, it abuts homes in unincorporated Ela Township. Homeowner David Hartley has raised concerns about the plan, especially the proximity to those homes and the proposed height of the retail stores.
"I think it'll have a significant impact on the people who live here," Hartley said.
Bond said planners have addressed the potential impact on homeowners with fencing and other elements.
"Our development is sensible and within scale and character of the other commercial projects nearby," Bond said. "We do not wish to negatively impact any of our neighbors and will continue to work to create the best development we can."
The project needs village-board approval. Trustees likely will review the plans in fall, after a pair of public hearings before the plan commission.
If the concept moves forward, Bond said, he hopes to start construction this fall and have the first stores ready to open in spring 2017.