Lincolnshire prepping land for development
It may take awhile for the economy to turn, but Lincolnshire intends to be ready.
Work began Wednesday to reshape the village's much discussed but long vacant "downtown" area north of Route 22 and east of Milwaukee Avenue in hopes of better financial times.
The village board has approved a contract not to exceed $1.45 million with Earthwork Lane Improvement & Development to prepare the vacant site for future development.
"We're building the detention basin, the compensatory storage basin, we're bringing the water right to the site," said Jennifer Hughes, director of public works.
An unnamed tributary of Indian Creek will be relocated from the middle of the village-owned site to make the area clear and buildable.
"It's basically just prepping the site, so that way a future developer doesn't have to deal with the wetlands and the (Army) Corps of Engineers or SMC (Lake County Stormwater Management Commission), but simply is ready to go."
Indian Creek is the other boundary of what is referred to as the triangle. The work also includes stabilizing the creek banks to help prevent flooding and make it more attractive. It does not include roads, parking lots, sidewalks or other infrastructure, Hughes said.
The village has been working on developing the area for many years and has seen would-be developers come and go. Last year, the board approved a redevelopment plan to include a Wild Oats grocery store on the site.
When Whole Foods merged with Wild Oats, the new entity decided to forego smaller stores as had been planned in Lincolnshire. The developer at the time changed gears, but could not secure tenants and missed required deadlines.
The agreement with CFRI/CBK LLC was terminated and the village authorized the staff to proceed with site preparation on its own. The cost will be paid with money from a special taxing district established by the village in 1989.
"There's not much development going on right now, but the idea is to have this site ready," Hughes said. "The community has long deserved a grocery store. This is a location that can work - it is retail-oriented."