Arlington Hts. signs off on auto mall

Despite a minor quip about a traffic light, Bob Rohrman's 50-acre auto mall sailed through the Arlington Heights village board approval process on Monday with a unanimous vote.

The auto mall is expected to employ more than 500 people and have 3,256 parking spaces at the northeast corner of Dundee and Wilke roads.

It's projected to sell more than 900 cars a month.

"This is one of the most significant projects this board has ever approved," Trustee Tom Stengren said before his vote.

As part of his $100 million project, Rohrman wants to keep the traffic light located about a half block north of Dundee Road on Wilke Road, even though Arlington Heights planners said it's probably no longer needed.

If Rohrman wants to keep the light, his company should pay for its maintenance and energy costs, according to a village planning report.

However after a brief discussion, trustees voted to allow Rohrman to keep the light at its current location.

"Let them have it," said Trustee Bert Rosenberg. "It's the least we can do for what they're bringing us."

Once all the dealerships are in place, Arlington Heights is looking at getting an additional $3 million a year in sales tax revenue.

The Bob Rohrman Auto Group plans to move the following dealerships to the northern Arlington Heights location: Arlington Lexus, 1285 E. Dundee Road in Palatine; Arlington Dodge in Palatine, 1400 E. Dundee Road in Palatine; and Arlington Chrysler Jeep, 925 W. Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove. Plans also include a spot for another dealership to open in the future.

A new building for Arlington Nissan was approved in 2006, is currently under construction and will open within the next few months. The Nissan dealership was moved from 915 W. Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove.

All of the dealerships should be relocated and open within two years, said Mark Battista, director of governmental affairs for the Bob Rohrman Auto Group, which is based in Lafayette, Ind.