Rental townhouses proposed as another aspect of Hawthorn 2.0 redevelopment
A new residential element is being proposed as part of the ongoing transformation of the Hawthorn mall property in Vernon Hills.
Concept plans by Dallas-based mall owner Centennial Real Estate with project partners Focus Development and BSB Design call for 48 rental townhouses to be built in what is now a parking lot north of The Domaine luxury apartment complex and AMC Theatres, west of Perry’s Steakhouse and south of Ring Drive.
Townhouses would offer another housing alternative for tenants and support existing and planned retail uses on the Hawthorn campus, developers say.
Demand for rental townhouses would come from people in transition before buying their first home, downsizing empty nesters and hybrid or remote workers, according to information presented recently for informal review.
Village officials have to determine if the plan is consistent with the general vision for the comprehensive redevelopment of the mall and surrounding property unveiled in 2019.
The Domaine opened last year with 313 luxury apartments and is 94% leased. Another 282 apartments are planned in a second phase.
Townhouses would be 1,900 square feet with three bedrooms and two-car garages providing more privacy, multi-floor living and traditional garage parking, developers say.
“We feel this further enhances our master development plan for Hawthorn mall by bringing another aspect of the community onto the site,” said Sam Whitebread, vice president of development for Centennial.
A six-story senior living facility with 82 independent, 60 assisted-living and 20 memory-care units was proposed for that location three years ago but was not supported by the village board for a variety of reasons and did not proceed.
The townhouse concept came three weeks after Centennial presented revised plans for the second phase of the transformation of the mall property west of Milwaukee Avenue and north of Route 60, known as Hawthorn 2.0.
The new and improved plans would retain the entire existing footprint of the mall and extend the Main Street-style Hawthorn Row to connect with Route 60.
Focus, a developer and residential development firm, also partnered on The Atworth apartment complex on the Mellody Farm retail center across Milwaukee Avenue east of Hawthorn.
According to the company, the Atworth, Domaine and Mil'Ton apartments just north of Hawthorn have proved the market appeal. Townhouse developments such as the Mosaic in District in Fairfax, Virginia, and The Eaton in Columbus, Ohio, are examples of townhouses adjacent to shopping malls, according to Focus.
Village officials informally supported the plan and advanced it for a detailed staff review and a public hearing before the advisory planning and zoning commission ahead of an official vote.
Items for consideration include proposed parallel parking along Ring Road but “nothing of major consequence,” said Andrew Jennings, community development director.
The potential financial impact of residential in an area originally envisioned as commercial to the village and other taxing bodies is expected to be part of the review.