Demolition begins on downtown Fox River Grove building
Fox River Grove’s downtown district will have a different look soon with the commencement of the building demolition on Block B (the downtown parcels between Illinois Street and Lincoln Avenue that extend from Northwest Highway to Opatrny Drive), marking a significant milestone in the village’s revitalization efforts.
In late April, the demolition process on Block B began with the abatement of the asbestos present in each of the structures. Water and sewer disconnections have since been completed.
Full structural removal of the buildings is tentatively scheduled to begin May 13, but could start as early as tomorrow.
“The demolition of the buildings on Block B signifies a significant step forward in Fox River Grove’s downtown revitalization efforts. We hope that removal of this blight will help set the stage for the future developer of this premier location in the downtown,” said Village President Marc McLaughlin.
Redevelopment progress
In 2021, the village acquired the Block B parcels with the aim of incentivizing redevelopment efforts. Despite facing economic challenges, the village has remained committed to exploring development opportunities for this block.
In October 2022, the village engaged a commercial real estate broker to promote Block B within the commercial and mixed-use development community.
In March 2023, the village board selected Norwood Builders as the developer and entered into a memorandum of understanding for the redevelopment of Block B, with plans to construct a five-story mixed-use building featuring 8,600 square feet of commercial space and 150 apartments.
As of now, the aforementioned memorandum of understanding has since lapsed, prompting the village to once again actively market the site while maintaining its dedication to the mixed-use vision.
The village is actively engaged in discussions with several developers, and hopes to identify the right development partner that will bring a successful downtown redevelopment project to fruition.