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Vision for urban-style homes on Lake Zurich waterfront

John McLinden hopes to obtain land owned by taxpayers in downtown Lake Zurich so his company can create more urban-style living in the suburbs.

"It's this whole idea of living better and not bigger," McLinden said Wednesday.

Last week, Lake Zurich trustees voted 5-0 in favor of granting McLinden's StreetScape Development LLC an exclusive right until Dec. 21 to produce a formal proposal for the nearly 2-acre parcel. The village purchased the site for $3.6 million in 2004 as part of a long-stalled effort to revitalize downtown.

Under StreetScape's preliminary plan, 17 single-family homes on 28-foot-wide lots would rise across from village's waterfront area called the Promenade.

The company envisions a return to a time when neighbors hung out on front porches, rather than driving into the attached garage of a typical suburban home and retreating to the backyard, McLinden said.

Trustee Jonathan Sprawka is among the elected officials voicing optimism about StreetScape's idea for the property fronting West Main Street.

"What we're looking for is ... that catalyst that is going to get downtown going again," Sprawka said during the village board session. "And part of that is, we need the density of the population."

StreetScape is known for a development in Libertyville that incorporated the vacant Central School. The Libertyville-based company developed the old brick building into 15 loft units as a focal point of the nationally recognized School Street project, which also features 26 single-family homes in a compact "front-porch revival," urban-style neighborhood.

Lake Zurich officials last month toured a similar urban-style residential development that StreetScape is building in Skokie. Mayor Thomas Poynton spoke highly of StreetScape's work.

"I can tell you that I'm excited about this (downtown) proposal," Poynton said.

McLinden said nine of the 17 homes in Lake Zurich would face the water, with prices possibly starting at $500,000. He said the location has much going for it, such as recreational opportunities, restaurants, a butcher shop and a bakery within walking distance.

Village officials and McLinden will need to negotiate a price for the site. The purchase price must take into account the affect it would have on homebuyers' costs, McLinden said.

"We'll be respectful with our offer," he added. "We know what the math has to be."

In October 2013, Lake Zurich officials rejected developer John Breugelmans' offer to pay $10 for the property, after he had an exclusive period to create a plan. Breugelmans wanted to build a four-story building with 66 apartments that later would have been converted into condominiums, along with a restaurant, bar, coffee shop and hair salon.

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers Inc. received exclusive rights to develop a residential plan for the site but never entered the village's formal approval process. Last year, Harbour Contractors Inc. of Plainfield decided against proceeding with an apartment project on the land.

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John McLinden, who owns StreetScape Development LLC, wants to build homes on downtown Lake Zurich's waterfront. Here, he's at the company's acclaimed School Street residential project in Libertyville. Daily Herald file photo
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