‘Countless iterations’: Revised apartment plan OK’d for former Regal cinema site in Lake Zurich

After nearly a year of review, multiple revisions and extensive public comment, a plan for an apartment community on the former Regal cinema property along Route 12 in Lake Zurich has approvals to proceed.

Ultimately, the Springs at Lake Zurich was reduced from the initial ask of 282 apartments to 213 and other changes that led to a 4-2 village board vote to allow Continental Properties to build the project on Route 12 east of Ela Road.

The 20-acre site includes an outlot reserved for a quick-serve restaurant, identified as Portillo’s, to be considered in a separate future request for a special-use permit.

The process began in January with a courtesy review by the village board, a nonvoting session giving developers a sense of its general sentiment for a given project.

At the time, a consensus of trustees agreed the density was overwhelming although it was noted that due a changing marketplace, a plan for traditional retail or a broader mix of uses might not materialize when the property was sold.

Regal didn’t close until August but Continental had an exclusive agreement to buy the property when it made the pitch. Lake Zurich Cinemas opened in 1992 and expanded to a multiplex operated as Regal Lake Zurich.

Continental, a Wisconsin-based firm, has 13 projects in Illinois — including Mundelein and Crystal Lake — underway, planned or completed.

The company’s land planner went through “countless iterations” to get to this point, Jennifer Patton, development director told the village board Tuesday in a final overview.

Revisions were made “in response to village staff, the plan commission, village consultants and public comment,” she said.

Besides the courtesy review, the advisory planning and zoning commission held hourslong public hearings Oct. 15 and 22. Continental also hosted a neighborhood outreach meeting at Beelow’s Steakhouse.

In response to comments and questions from commissioners and the public, the number of proposed units was reduced to 213 in nine buildings, lessening the plan’s density.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

Other changes included reconfiguring the site plan to improve traffic circulation, stormwater management and the parking ratio, as well as increasing setbacks from residences across the south property line, according to the village.

Opponents say the project is still too dense and questioned the estimate of 35 school-age children who would live there saying crowding and education quality may become issues.

Before the vote Mayor Tom Poynton said he was irked by some comments during the process such as that torrents of stormwater would be unleashed. He said the board takes development proposals very seriously.

“We consider ourselves top-notch stewards of residents’ money and what we’re doing here,” he said.

He also disagreed with an observation that the Continental plan would hurt property values.

“The townhouses that sold after Lifetime Fitness was built appreciated significantly in value and I think the same thing is going to happen here,” he said.

The vote was 4-2 in favor with trustees Jake Marx and Roger Sugrue dissenting.