Mundelein shopping center plan is moving forward

Despite a lawsuit against the village and developer, plans for a new shopping center on Mundelein's northwest side are progressing.

The Mundelein plan commission on Wednesday approved the development plan and subdivision plan for the Mundelein Town Center proposal. It calls for a Wal-Mart Supercenter store, a Menards home improvement store and other businesses in a 600,000-square-foot plaza on Route 60 north of Route 176.

With those recommendations in place, the village board could cast its final votes on the project in February, Village Administrator John Lobaito said.

After Wednesday's meeting, plan commission chairman Scott Black said aesthetic elements of the proposal have changed to meet the concerns of residents in the nearby Ivanhoe neighborhood, who sued the village and Rubloff Development in August in an effort to halt the project.

"I am pleased with the way the process has evolved," Black said. "I think it is a good plan for the village."

Many Ivanhoe residents have complained about the proposed aesthetics of the center and the quality of some stores, particularly the Wal-Mart.

One of the outspoken objectors, Ted Booden, was at Wednesday's meeting and said the changes, such as the addition of benches and landscaping modifications, still aren't sufficient.

"We don't believe they are meeting (our) needs," Booden said. "It still isn't what we think it should be."

The lawsuit over the Town Center proposal argues objectors to the plan were not properly able to cross-examine witnesses, present evidence or offer rebuttals during plan commission discussions in May.

Additionally, the development infringes on the residents' property rights and will hurt their homes' values, the complaint alleges.