Rand Motel comes down in Kildeer; site up for sale
Demolition work on the Rand Motel in Kildeer is about complete, a little more than three months after a fire sparked in a set of garages on the property.
With the Rand Motel becoming history and going up for sale, local government officials are hopeful it'll lead to a domino effect of development in the area.
Long tired in appearance, the motel was part of a fading breed of mom-and-pop lodging operators in Lake County along an approximately 26-mile stretch of Rand Road, also known as Route 12, from the Kildeer area to Fox Lake.
Scrutiny of the Rand Motel began after the blaze erupted the morning of Sept. 6. No injuries were reported in the fire that officials believe was related to electrical service the garages drew from a house on the site.
Kildeer Village Administrator Michael Talbett said the motel's owners will try to sell the property. It's believed Rand Motel dates back at least to the 1960s.
Talbett said property owners to the north of the motel also are interested in selling, which could create development opportunities leading to Shops at Kildeer on the thoroughfare's east side across from Deer Park Town Center.
On the southern border of the Rand Motel site, groundbreaking for a long-planned Whole Foods store in Kildeer is slated for spring where Ozzi Waterpark once stood. The project has been on hold since plans publicly surfaced in May 2007.
"It's just a matter of timing," Talbett said.
Meanwhile, at a recent meeting between officials from Lake Zurich, Kildeer and Deer Park, Talbett said everyone remarked how developers have started to make informal inquires about availabilities along Rand Road.
"Now's the time to try to cut a deal," Talbett said.
In Lake Zurich, Village Administrator Bob Vitas said the developer interest is encouraging. He said the area remains desirable, particularly a 45-acre site on the northwest corner of Cuba Road and Route 12 between Kildeer and Lake Zurich.
"We've been hearing more positive, upbeat conversations from the private sector development-wise for next year," he said.
Midwest Real Estate Equities Inc. backed out of a plan to build a Lowe's Improvement Warehouse and a Meijer store in September 2008, citing the inability of Lake Zurich and Kildeer to work out a boundary agreement.
Lake Zurich made its first trip to an International Council of Shopping Centers show in Chicago in October to seek business. While Vitas said some good contacts were made at the event, the village also must work to retain businesses already in Lake Zurich.
Dale Perrin, executive director of the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce, said the organization contributed $1,000 to help cover fliers and other promotional materials the village used at the trade show.