Grayslake hears pitch for retail, senior units

Preliminary plans for a retail center and up to 300 homes geared toward seniors received an informal Grayslake village board review Tuesday night.

Deerfield-based SJS Realty and Atlantic Coast Developers of Jacksonville, Fla., want to construct the independent- and assisted-living homes and roughly 341,000 square feet of retail as an extension of the Prairie Crossing subdivision, near routes 45 and 137.

SJS and Atlantic Coast would build on two parcels covering about 77 acres. A 12-acre lot is near Lake Forest Hospital's outpatient and acute-care center, with the other 65 acres south of Maplewood Shopping Center and the Canterbury Estates subdivision.

If built, the retail component might include 60 homes or offices built above the shops. In addition, the mall would seek alternative energy sources, sustainable building materials and offer reserved parking for hybrid vehicles, said SJS managing member Marc Siegel.

Siegel said the location in central Lake County would be ideal for the mall and senior housing.

"We hope to become an integral part of this community," Siegel told the Grayslake village board.

Grayslake trustees and Mayor Timothy Perry offered several suggestions on how the proposal could be tweaked, including the desire to see subsidized senior homes added to the mix.

Meanwhile, potential annual tax benefits for three school districts serving Grayslake have been calculated.

Figures provided by the village show the project, when fully built, would generate $616,894 annually for Grayslake High School District 127 with $509,979 going to Grayslake Elementary District 46 and $104,644 to Woodland Elementary District 50.

"It is a very meaningful economic benefit to Grayslake," Siegel said.