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Buffalo Grove is pushing ahead with plans for Prairie View area

Now that Buffalo Grove trustees have integrated the Prairie View Metra Station Area Plan into the village's comprehensive plan, officials are moving forward to make its proposals a reality.

Covering about 128 acres surrounding the station at 2701 Main St., just north of Half Day Road, the plan calls for a walkable, sustainable mixed-use neighborhood that incorporates the historic character of Prairie View, according to Lesley Roth, associate principal with RATIO Architects, the Chicago firm that crafted the Prairie View plan with the village.

The 96-page plan includes a north section featuring single-family homes and townhouses clustered around more than 12 acres of park space; a central area with a mix of uses, including single-family homes, multifamily housing and commercial properties, along with a gateway paying tribute to the neighborhood's history; and a south area featuring townhouses and a mixed-use building overlooking a plaza.

"The plan will serve as an important and flexible guide to the future development and planning of the Prairie View area," Community Development Director Christopher Stilling said.

Stilling said the village will continue to meet with residents, businesses, key property owners and institutions as they move forward with the plan.

It already has generated some excitement, said Stilling, noting that village Principal Planner Nicole Woods met last week for several hours with a broker interested in assembling a project there.

The plan also has sparked some concerns from neighboring Lincolnshire, which has a boundary agreement with Buffalo Grove in that area. A letter Lincolnshire officials sent Buffalo Grove outlining those concerns was raised last week.

Village Manager Dane Bragg said he has since spoken with Lincolnshire's village manager, and there's now talk of a meeting that also would involve leaders from Stevenson High School District 125 and Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103. However, Bragg said that while he would be happy to facilitate that conversation, the village is moving forward with the plan.

The boundary agreement, which dictates that some unincorporated properties be annexed to Buffalo Grove and others to Lincolnshire, affects only the northern portion of the Prairie View area, Stilling added.

Plan calls for big changes around Buffalo Grove train station

The Prairie View Metra Station Area Plan calls for a mix of single-family and multifamily homes, as well as commercial properties, in a 128-acre area surrounding the commuter station on the north side of the village. Courtesy of Buffalo Grove
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