Wheeling Westin wants to convert some land to office space

The developers of the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel in Wheeling want to use some of the surrounding land as office space, changing what was originally approved by the village.

Mike Firsel, the developer, said at a village board meeting Tuesday that the area has a shortage of office buildings.

"What this project needs is a shot in the arm," he said. "One of our objectives was to create more excitement."

He said the building, at the northeast corner of the site and parallel to Milwaukee Avenue, will bring in daytime customers plus more parking. When employees leave the area at 5 or 5:30 p.m., restaurant and retail users can take up the parking spaces in the proposed six- or seven-story attached garage.

"This would be a public parking deck," Firsel said.

Trustees agreed to hear more about the concept of the 161,000 square-foot building after the financial details were ironed out.

"I like the idea of the office building," Trustee Dean Argiris. "It's a trend that's in high demand."

However, Trustee Ken Brady said he'd like the developers to look at an enclosed walking path to get from the garage to the hotel to guard against the weather.

Firsel said he would look at the idea but also proposed possibly having a shuttle service from the garage as an alternative.

Firsel said Cooper's Hawk, a restaurant and winery, has also finalized its lease for a 11,000 square-foot building. However, the lease deal prohibits another restaurant south of that one, as originally planned, so that 5,000 square-foot area will be turned into retail.

Another proposed 10,000 square-foot restaurant will be shaved down to 8,000 square feet, Firsel said.

An intimate apparel store is also planning to move into the area.