Portofino gets Huntley extension

Huntley village trustees voted Thursday to give the developer of a proposed Italian-themed project more time to resolve traffic issues with its neighbors.

The project, called the Village of Portofino after the Italian fishing village that inspired its design, would include big-box stores and high-end housing west of Route 47 and north of Kreutzer Road.

In April, the village board told the developer to meet with three property owners east of Route 47 to determine the location of a second access point for the project.

The Portofino Group has asked for two access points because of the size of the development, which would have more than 1 million square feet of retail space and hundreds of upscale apartments.

The developer has not yet reached agreement with its neighbors, according to the village.

The Portofino Group will have another 45 days to resolve the issue.

"I don't have a real problem with the plan if they're willing to work out all the problems with their neighbors," Trustee Pam Fender said Thursday.

The board is required to vote on preliminary development plans for the Village of Portofino by July 24 -- unless the board grants another extension.

While Huntley trustees have praised the concept, they have also raised concerns over the viability of the project, the traffic it would generate and the project timeline, which calls for the retail portion to be built before the apartments.

The Village of Portofino would be unique in Huntley's history for its combination of retail and residential, similar to Algonquin's Galleria on Randall Road.

The Huntley development would include national retail chains, restaurants and a midsized movie theater as well as 419 apartments and 68 townhouses.

The developer plans to break ground in the second half of 2009 with the first part of the project -- including most of the retail -- slated to open in 2011.