What's being pitched for northwest corner of Elk Grove Village: A peek at the four proposals
Elk Grove Village officials have unveiled four redevelopment proposals to transform the town's oldest shopping center at what is the village's northern gateway.
All four suggest a mixed-use development with varying amounts of residential and commercial space at the 10-acre Elk Grove Woods Plaza on the southeast corner of Arlington Heights and Higgins roads, where the long-standing Elk Grove Bowl recently was demolished.
The village purchased the bowling alley for $2 million almost a year ago, at the same time it bought the neighboring retail strip center, bank and Rose Garden Cafe for $10.7 million. Months later, the village acquired the corner Shell gas station for $5 million, giving it complete control of the entryway corner to town.
After sending a request for proposals to at least nine developers in September, the village got back four and held a public open house last week for residents to view the early renderings and site plans and provide feedback.
Names of the developers were kept private, and their projects were distinguished on large poster boards only with the letters A, B, C and D.
Mayor Craig Johnson said he didn't want residents' opinions on the proposals to be influenced by who is behind them. Though, in at least two cases, the names of developers weren't entirely removed from individual proposals released after the event at elkgrove.org/gateway.
The open house Wednesday came before the village board is expected to pare down the list to two finalists before picking the winning project by January. A redevelopment agreement and tax-increment financing - where some taxes that normally would go to local taxing bodies will help fund redevelopment efforts instead - are expected to be part of the equation, Johnson confirmed.
Here is a closer look at the proposals:
Proposal A
A 4-story, 282-unit apartment complex with 384-space parking deck is proposed behind four commercial buildings at the corner: one a building with 24,800 square feet of retail space, two single-story drive-through restaurants along Higgins, and two single-story retail buildings along Arlington Heights Road. An 8-foot wall would be built around the property, separating the development from single-family homes. Construction would start in April 2024 with first occupancy in December 2025.
Proposal B
Synergy Construction proposes a 5-story, 319-unit apartment complex with a 501-space indoor garage, 30 two-bedroom rental townhouses and 35,000 square feet of retail along Higgins in the hope that many of the existing retail tenants relocate there. A small waterfall and elk statue would be part of monument signage at the corner.
Construction on the retail buildings would start in September 2023. Then, the existing shopping plaza would be demolished and construction of the apartments would begin in October 2024, with completion in March 2026. Finally, townhouse construction is slated for March 2026 and to be finished by March 2027.
Proposal C
Two big pieces of this development are The Groove, a 5-story, 80-unit apartment building with first-floor retail, and The Grove, a U-shaped 4.5-story, 126-unit apartment complex with a courtyard. In back are 32 three-story rental townhouses, while two single-story commercial buildings bookend the development.
The first phase calls for construction of the two retail buildings so tenants can be relocated if desired. Then the existing retail strip and bank would be demolished to make way for The Grove, followed by demolition of the gas station to make way for The Groove at the corner. The townhouses would be built last.
Proposal D
Wingspan Development Group proposes Elk Woods Lofts, a 5-story, 267-unit apartment building with 11,000 square feet of retail along Arlington Heights Road, and Elk Woods Townhomes, 16 three-story townhouses with attached garages.
A single-story 25,855-square-foot retail building with clock tower would be built at the corner - where Tensuke Market and Jarosch Bakery would relocate. A single-story, 21,930-square-foot retail building would be built along Higgins - where 7 Mile Cycles and other retailers would relocate.
The developer also has suggested a possible pedestrian overpass to Busse Woods, monument signage and plaza gathering space.
Construction of the retail buildings would start in March 2024 with the aim to relocate the current tenants by February 2025. Then, the existing strip building would be torn down to make way for the apartments. It would all be complete by November 2026.