Could a shopping center bring new life to Route 60 in Mundelein?
Route 60 long has been one of Vernon Hills' most popular shopping and dining destinations.
The Westfield Shoppingtown Hawthorn mall, shopping centers and restaurants line both sides of the heavily traveled roadway between Butterfield Road and Milwaukee Avenue.
The most recent addition was the Aspen Pointe shopping center, which opened in 2006 at Aspen Drive and prominently features a Walgreens drugstore and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, among other tenants.
Cross Butterfield Road and the Canadian National tracks to the west, however, and it's pretty clear that section of the roadway, the part in Mundelein, isn't nearly as fetching.
Some free-standing businesses, a small shopping center and a medical-products factory are among the operations on Mundelein's side of Route 60, and none have the pizazz of the attractions on the other side of Butterfield Road.
Mundelein officials think a newly proposed shopping center could change that.
Developers want to build stores, restaurants and offices on a nearly 9-acre spot on the south side of Route 60, just west of the train tracks. The land's vacant now.
Plans on file with the village call for more than 78,000 square feet of retail space, about 18,000 square feet of office space and room for nearly 300 cars. The offices would be on the second floor of the two-story complex, village documents indicate.
Mayor Kenneth H. Kessler envisions an upscale center where parents could bring their kids for a doctor's visit and then shop in the adjoining stores.
"Now that Vernon Hills has filled in (the property east of the railroad), it's just a little teeny jump to get over the tracks and continue that motion," Kessler said.
The property is zoned for industrial use now, so it would need to be rezoned as commercial for the shopping center to become a reality, officials said.
That shouldn't be a problem, Kessler said.
"I think everyone would rather see something like this than an industrial building there," he said.
Reisch Commercial Properties, a Missouri firm, has developed the plans for the site.
Developers spoke to the village board about the plan for the first time Monday night.
Trustee Ed Sullivan questioned the proposed architectural designs, saying the heavy use of glass and other elements are too modern. Sullivan said he'd prefer a more traditional appearance.
He also voiced safety-related concerns about a proposed recreational area. Even so, Sullivan said he isn't opposed to the project in general.
The board took no formal action.