Suburban Skyview: Morris Station is part of a wave of development in downtown Mundelein

I've covered hundreds of assignments in Mundelein during my 33 years with the Daily Herald and, while passing through the village recently, I couldn't help but notice the downtown area has undergone a rapid transformation.

A striking change on the eastern edge of downtown is the construction of the Morris Station luxury apartment development, which is rising on a parcel that included an auto sales lot to the north and a lumber yard to the south, and what appeared to be a few vintage residential structures in between.

The development is bordered by Route 176, Morris Avenue, East Park Street and the busy Canadian National Railroad line, which carries around two dozen daily freight trains and 14 scheduled weekday Metra North Central Service commuter trains.

Three stages of progress can be seen in the aerial view: a concrete foundation, a building under construction that hasn't had its roof added yet, and one that is nearing exterior completion.

Despite its name, Morris Station isn't next to the Metra station - it's just a few blocks away and certainly within walking distance. Interestingly enough, the Wisconsin Central railroad depot, which was moved about a mile south to the Mundelein Historical Society Fort Hill Center on Noel Drive decades ago, stood right across the tracks from the new development.

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