Rowhomes eyed for South Elgin 'eyesore'

A plan to tear down an aging Painted Lady in South Elgin and replace it with 16 brick rowhomes received encouragement from village leaders Monday night.

"I think this is the type of project that would work in that area," said Trustee Michael Kolodziej. "Right now, we have a vacant building. It's an eyesore."

South Elgin-based Mazot Properties hopes to build three-story homes on the .9-acre site at the northeast corner of Gilbert and Middle streets.

Seven homes would face Gilbert, five would face Middle and four would be clustered in the center of the property.

Chris Clark, Mazot Properties president, pointed to rowhome developments in Elgin and St. Charles as evidence his plan could succeed.

Clark said units would each have a two-car attached garage and between 1,450 and 1,700 square feet of living space. Prices would start in the mid- to upper $200,000s and the first units could be available by late 2009.

"This is a product that in other areas has sold very well, and at the price point it should sell quickly," he said.

Added Clark's business partner: "This is very consistent with the village's master plan, the urban feeling they're going for (near downtown)."

Clark must still take the project to the village's plan commission and gain final approval from trustees.

But no trustees voiced any serious objections to the plan Monday.

"Obviously, there's a long road ahead," said Village President Jim Hansen. "It's exactly what we want in downtown. It looks like a very high quality type of development."