Driver's license facility approved in Lake Zurich
Plans for an Illinois driver's license facility in a Lake Zurich mall received village board approval Tuesday night.
Under the plan, the driver's license operation would shift from its nearly 30-year home at Brookside Shopping Center in Libertyville to Deerpath Commons on Rand Road in Lake Zurich.
As part of an agenda package with other items, Lake Zurich village trustees voted 6-0 in favor a special-use permit for the driver's license facility proposal. Last month, the planning and zoning commission recommended the village board grant the permit the facility needs to conduct business at Deerpath Commons.
Jason Sfire, vice president of Deerpath Commons owner Fidelity Group Ltd., said after the vote the company has a tentative lease agreement and a letter-of-intent from the state to open in the mall.
“We're really excited about them coming,” Sfire said. “We don't have a firm date yet for them opening, but we are clearly, clearly excited about the strong possibility of them coming.”
Lake Zurich Village Manager Ray Keller said he expects some runoff benefits from the driver's license facility.
“It's a destination,” Keller said. “People have to renew their driver's licenses or get them in the first place. By making the trip to Lake Zurich that they might not have otherwise made, there's opportunities for them to shop or grab a bite to eat. Or just even for our own residents, to have a service closer to their homes.”
Stephen Martin, whose family owns the Brookside Shopping Center in Libertyville, has said the state owes $46,100 in unpaid rent this year. The facility has been at the strip mall since 1987.
Martin told the Daily Herald he declined to sign a five-year extension of the office's lease that ends Sept. 30 unless he receives the back rent. He said the state — with a temporary budget and still owing a variety of creditors — indicated it would find money if he agreed to extend the lease during a five-day window that's long since expired.
Sfire said his father, who heads Fidelity Group, has had several discussions with the state and does not have any concerns about being stiffed on Deerpath Commons rent.
“The company and family is ready to roll,” he said.
Plans call for the secretary of state to fill a 9,638-square-foot space adjacent to House of Hope Resale at Deerpath Commons. Commercial licenses for truck drivers would not be handled at the facility.