Palatine gives preliminary approval to 38-unit townhouse development at former gas station site

A long‑vacant former gas station and car wash property in Palatine, now overgrown with weeds and loomed over by two billboards, could soon be replaced by a 38-unit townhouse development.

The village council Monday gave preliminary approval to the project at the southwest corner of Quentin and Dundee roads. The 4.84-acre site is located across from the Deer Grove Forest Preserve and adjacent to a residential area.

The village would need to annex the property. The council will consider both the annexation and final approval once the developer meets certain conditions.

Petitioner David Schwartz plans to put 10 buildings on the site.

The developer originally sought 40 townhouses, but chopped the number down to 38 after two public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission in February and March.

The layout will include two-story townhouses on the edges of the site, with two three-story buildings in the interior. Each home would range between 2,200 and 2,400 square feet.

Much of the discussion revolved around the billboards. One on the southeast corner is slated for removal within six-to-eight months. The one on the northwest corner has about 12 years remaining on its lease.

As part of the preliminary plan development conditions, the village is prohibiting any extensions of the existing billboard lease and requiring a security deposit to ensure the billboard’s eventual removal.

Mayor Jim Schwantz urged Schwartz and his attorney, Lawrence Freedman to find a way out of the long-term lease, saying his support for final approval will hinge on that.

“We don’t have an expectation they are going to be receptive,” Freedman warned.