Does proposal fit with goal of Buffalo Grove's Town Center?

A proposal for more office space in Buffalo Grove's Town Center has sparked the question of whether that's the best use for what was once touted as a downtown for the village.

Dr. Brian Locker is looking to expand Partners in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the space he is subleasing from Advocate Medical Group, which already has a location in Town Center.

The property manager has said he's tried to lease that space for retail use, but the lack of visibility hasn't made it easy to sell. Locker last week asked village board members what they thought about his proposal for the space at 210 McHenry Road.

However, trustees said they'd still like to see a majority of retail at the site.

"I don't know if that's the best use," Trustee Bruce Kahn said of the office proposal. A non-retail use wouldn't pay sales tax use and that troubles him.

The area, bordered by McHenry, Lake-Cook and Buffalo Grove roads, was in a tax increment financing district in the 1980s. The TIF expired in 2005.

While the shopping area has been largely successful, it never has become the focal point or town center that was originally envisioned when the TIF was created.

"From a marketing and property management perspective, it's a quality shopping center," said Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch.

It's one of 22 shopping centers in Buffalo Grove, and, most recently, Buffalo Wings and Rings restaurant announced it will be moving in to a vacant spot there in July.

"The goal at one point was that it would be a downtown destination, but it just wasn't constructed really in that way," Neukirch said.

The traffic counts on McHenry Road are too low to attract a big-box retailer, she said, and the site has never managed to retain an anchor store.

"So this site has attracted more of the family operators and community service needs," she said.

Neukirch said the village has taken some different approaches with some of the newer developments in town, such as Plaza Berenesa.

"What we're creating is a viable, thriving shopping center and a place of destination to create ample opportunities for community gathering," she said.

The retailers want to see more outdoor seating and pedestrian links.

"So it may not be called a downtown or central business district, but it's still a quality destination shopping center," Neukirch said.

While it has its vacancies, the Town Center has about the same occupancy rate that any other center in town would have, officials said.

While the village board is intent on maintaining as much retail on that site as possible, board members acknowledged the medical building wouldn't be taking up a large amount of space.

The board asked Neukirch to bring back information at its next meeting on a study done years ago that looks at what would be a good balance between retail and office use in the Town Center.

If the doctor's office is approved, that would bring the total office and special uses at the site to 15 percent.