Mundelein has plenty of projects in the works

As part of an ongoing project, the Daily Herald asked local business and village leaders about what kind of economic development projects were on the way in their communities. Here are the answers from Mundelein Director of Planning and Development Victor Barrera.

Q. How do you go about supporting business development in your community?

A. In order to foster and support business opportunities in the village, we are open-minded and flexible. For example, we recently made changes to our building codes in an effort to be more business and developer friendly.

Q. What is presently in the works (ground has been broken or will be in the next couple of months)?

A. We have a number of commercial projects in the works, including:

• Mundelein Town Center, routes 60 and 83, about 600,000 square feet of retail anchored by Super Walmart and Menards.

• CVS Pharmacy, routes 45 and 83 (former Journey's End). This project has been approved by the village board and will soon be under construction.

• Sunrise Fresh Market, downtown Mundelein, proposed store expansion to become an international market.

Q. What is in the planning stages?

A. In the planning stages are:

• Mundelein Village Square, southeast corner of routes 176 and 60/83. Proposed 100,000-square-foot neighborhood shopping center.

• Town Center Shoppes, south side of Townline Road, west of Butterfield Road. Proposed 100,000-square-foot shopping center.

• Complete rewrite of the village's zoning ordinance.

• Update of the village's comprehensive plan.

Q. What is your town's biggest economic development wish?

A. Our biggest economic development wish is to implement land use recommendations from the village's transit-oriented development plan; in essence, the redevelopment of our downtown. An additional wish is the redevelopment of our southern corridor ... Townline Road and Route 45.

Q. What is your community's single greatest asset or selling point to potential developers?

A. We are a diverse community, with housing opportunities for various levels of income. We are centrally located in the heart of Lake County. Our mayor and village board are highly responsive to our residents and business owners. Being responsive to all and providing excellent customer service is a hallmark of this administration and all who work for the village.

Q. Have the challenges presented by the current downturn forced you and your community to approach economic development differently? What are the changes and how well are they working?

A. All communities are vying for the same retailers. There is a greater emphasis on maintaining and keeping existing retailers in the community. We are rewriting our zoning code, updating our comprehensive plan and evaluating current village policies and procedures in an effort to be more business-, developer- and resident-friendly.