Vernon Hills condo plan to get scaled down
Public access to the south shore of Little Bear Lake would be a plus, but seven stories of condos proposed for that spot is too much, Vernon Hills leaders say.
Village trustees liked the architecture of the two buildings that would house 100 condos. But concerns regarding a variety of issues, including the poor real estate market, would need to be addressed if the plan for the northwest corner of Lakeview and Hawthorn parkways advances, they said.
"Density, height, traffic, those are some significant problems to overcome, and are significant obstacles for me," Trustee Thom Koch said Tuesday during an informal review.
"You've got to reduce the number of units," Trustee Jim Schultz told representatives from Demari Development Inc., of Lake Bluff.
Besides removing one floor to reduce the number of condos by about 20 and modifying the parking, Schultz wanted signed documents saying a proposed path along the lake would be available to the public in perpetuity and that easements were secured to provide a turn lane onto Route 60.
Trustees also rejected the idea of a bank for a portion of the nearly 5-acre site.
"We don't need another bank in town. That's got to go," Schultz said.
Demari and property owner Chris Georges would be joint partners in the project. As proposed, the condos would be in two buildings in a tiered wedding cake design, seven stories at their tallest and connected by a public plaza.
The ground floors would house about 40,000 square feet of retail space. The Portofino and Opa restaurants now on the site would be razed and reconfigured in that space. Other businesses could include more restaurants or a coffee shop, bakery, florist, or salon, for example.
"You have to look at this development as a total package with all the opportunities and amenities," said Al Maiden, president of Rolf C. Campbell & Associates, the architect of the land plan.
The condos would have base prices of $260,000 to $550,000, according to information provided to the village. The target market would be empty nesters.
A study done for developers said nearby amenities, including Century Park and shopping at Westfield Hawthorn Mall, makes the project desirable. The study estimated 50 units would sell out in about 18 months.
Because of the extensive review process, it would be about a year before the restaurants were razed. Mayor Roger Byrne noted the sales rate for housing is "frightening," at this time.
Koch said he would "like to see a very high level of pre-sale," if the project proceeds.
About a dozen or so neighbors addressed the board in opposition.
"The buildings are very nice individually, but you put them side by side and you have a barrier," to the lake, said Sid Watman, who lives just to the west.
Others feared more traffic on already entangled area roads, although village officials said that needed to be addressed whether or not the condos were built.
"There are a lot of things that are hard to fix but a lot of things we can fix," Trustee Barb Williams said.