‘A substantially improved plan’: Second phase of Hawthorn mall transformation officially approved in Vernon Hills
Changes allowing for what is described as an important milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Hawthorn mall property in Vernon Hills have been officially approved.
The village board Tuesday gave a unanimous thumbs-up to what is the third iteration of Phase II of Hawthorn 2.0 — a $252 million reimagining of the original 1970s-era mall and surrounding property.
Informally presented last October, changes include shifting the location and increasing the number of apartments to 288 from 255 in two 4-story buildings. Ground-level retail space also was increased to 37,290 square feet.
Plans also call for demolishing substantially less of the mall proper than originally envisioned. The next phase of construction will bring visible transformations to the mall itself by renovating the east and south facades to create new storefronts opening to landscaped plazas.
In an overview, Sam Whitebread, vice president of development for Centennial Real Estate, one of the ownership partners, said the revision is “a substantially improved plan, layout and use of real estate compared to that which you previously approved in 2022.”
The original plan called for removing roughly one-third of the remaining retail area in the original mall. That decision was reversed and only 5,600 square feet — the former Barnes & Noble space — will be taken out as the east and south facades will be transformed into outward facing retail uses.
“We believe in the project. We believe in the retail environment and as such have found what we consider a superior layout and use,” according to Whitebread.
The residential portion will be a continuation of the first phase called The Domaine, luxury apartments that opened last year and are 95% leased. The new buildings will straddle a paseo — a covered public walk.
Fifty-eight of the 288 new apartments will be available to tenants making 60% of the median income in the area.
The initial Phase II plan was approved in 2020 and revised two years later. There were no surprises Tuesday but because of changes and the need to use different parts of the property, the village had to approve a special-use permit and final plat of subdivision as well as a revised agreement for the latest plan to proceed.
Whitebread said the approvals pave the way for the next phase of development. The project is a partnership of Centennial, Focus, a development and construction company, Atlantic Residential, and Affinius Capital, a real estate investment firm.
Phase 2 construction is expected to start in the second quarter of 2026. The project will be completed in phases, with the first to open in late 2027.