Redevelopment of Dist. 59 properties favored by Arlington Heights
Arlington Heights officials say they favor commercial and residential development of Elk Grove Township District 59's property on Arlington Heights Road, which includes the former Wellington restaurant property and the school district administration headquarters.
The school district announced Oct. 26 it would begin soliciting feedback from the public on whether to sell or build on properties the district owns, including the properties at 2121 and 2123 S. Arlington Heights Road.
That prompted Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village's director of planning and community development, to send a letter to District 59 expressing the village's position that the “highest and best use” for the land would be commercial development along Arlington Heights Road and a residential use on the rear of the properties close to Tonne Drive.
“We expressed our willingness to continue to work with District 59 and potential developers to facilitate development,” Witherington-Perkins said.
He said he's already had discussions with a couple developers interested in the properties. A residential development could have “moderate” density, he said, though officials haven't determined the number of units or height of buildings.
The district administration building, maintenance yard and detention area are zoned for residential. The Wellington site is commercially zoned.
If the school district sold the properties, it could use proceeds to build a new administration center on an 8-acre site it owns behind the Elk Grove Park District Pavilion.
But Elk Grove Park Board President Bill O'Malley said last month the park district may be interested in buying that land, currently used as soccer fields and for park district summer camps. The school district allows the park district free use of the property under terms of a 2001 intergovernmental agreement reached after Lively Junior High School was demolished.
Another option the school district is considering is to renovate the current building to improve training space, while paving the gravel site where the Wellington once stood to make a new parking lot. A third option is to demolish the current center and build a new one on the properties.
The district plans to have community forums and conduct an online survey to gauge the public's feedback.