Clean slate: West Dundee to preview design options to redevelop former Spring Hill Mall site

For the past 10 years, the fate of Spring Hill Mall property has been a concern for West Dundee officials.

As the mall floundered, village officials looked for ways to breathe life into the regional shopping center that straddled West Dundee and Carpentersville.

Ultimately, West Dundee spent more than $13 million to buy the mall, demolish it and clear the way for redevelopment. Now the former mall is gone, and all that remains on the site is a Cinemark Theater.

On Monday night, West Dundee trustees will get a glimpse of what a reimagined mall property could look like with a mix of housing, retail, dining and other commercial uses. Consultants with Chicago-based Houseal-Lavigne Associates will present visualization plans that give off town center vibes, focused on a walkable community.

The plans are meant to be a starting point and can evolve as the site is redeveloped.

“This is really just putting down a marker so we can just start the conversation not only with residents but also with interested developers,” West Dundee Village President Chris Nelson said.

Trustees hired Houseal-Lavigne Associates to create design concepts. The Chicago-based firm’s visualization plan includes 3-D imaging that can be adjusted to show how different development scenarios would fit on the property and with the village’s overall vision for the area.

“It’s not a ‘build this plan’ but rather how does a mixed-use environment look and feel,” said Timothy Scott, the village’s director of economic development, planning, zoning and urban design.

"The virtual model will help set the expectations, share aspirations and communicate concepts so that we can pique the interest of developers,” Scott added.

A 2024 study for the village by AECOM suggested that the 70 acres within the ring road of the former mall and 32 acres adjacent to it could support up to 1,500 residential units and up to 325,000 square feet of commercial use. At its peak, the mall offered more than 1 million square feet of retail space.

West Dundee began purchasing portions of the mall in 2023, starting with the Sears and Macy’s anchor stores for $2 million and $1.25 million, respectively.

In another deal that closed in 2024, the village paid $7 million to acquire the core of the mall structure and a former Carson Pirie Scott store.

West Dundee officials said that purchasing the mall, which opened in 1980 and closed in March 2024, was the only path forward for redevelopment. Village ownership eliminated the situation where the site had multiple owners and covenants that could have hindered development.

While the village expects to work with developers to bring residential and commercial uses to the property, officials are planning to set aside roughly 4 acres for a new public safety building for the town’s police department.

Currently, West Dundee’s police and fire departments share space in a public safety building built in 1986. Officials have said the space has become too small for the two departments to share.

A new police station could cost $20 million to $25 million, officials have said. The village hopes to break ground on the new station sometime in 2027, potentially making it the first new building on the former mall property.