New Cumberland Crossing plan gets preliminary OK from Des Plaines council

A four-story building with 226 apartments and ground-floor retail space has been proposed for vacant land in northwest Des Plaines.

Schiller Park-based Noah Properties wants to build the mixed-use complex at 414 E. Golf Road, north of the Wolf Road intersection. It’s the site of the former Pacific Coast Feather Co., which was demolished in 2021.

The 6-acre property is in the 4th Ward. It’s near the Cumberland Metra station and about one-third of a mile southwest of the Cumberland Circle traffic circle.

While this proposal is new, the “Cumberland Crossing” name is not.

In 2020, a Chicago-based company called Terra Carta Partners proposed Cumberland Crossing as two, six-story buildings with 449 apartments and a free-standing, 2,000-square-foot restaurant building.

That plan was opposed by many nearby residents who expressed concerns about traffic, the impact on local schools and other factors, however.

In response, Terra Carta modified the proposal to a single apartment building with 348 units and a freestanding restaurant. But the public still opposed the plan and it didn’t progress.

In 2023, Terra Carta came back with a third option: two apartment buildings with commercial space and parking levels and a separate restaurant plaza. The concept never made it past the planning stage, either.

All city approvals for the previous proposals have expired, Community and Economic Development Director Jeff Rogers told the city council Monday during a public review of the latest plan.

Noah Properties envisions more than 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space with three stories of apartments above, Rogers said. The storefronts would face the train station, documents indicate.

As part of the project, Wolf Road would be extended north past Golf Road for access to the complex, documents indicate. Traffic lanes and turning lanes would be added, too, among other infrastructure and landscaping improvements.

Company CFO Ron Plonis said his team came up with the proposal after it reviewed the previous attempts and considered the public feedback.

Monday’s presentation followed two informal public reviews of the plan at the GENCenter and a discussion and recommendation by the city’s planning and zoning board, which advises the city council.

The city council on Monday preliminarily approved the development plan with a 6-2 vote. Fourth Ward Alderman Dick Sayad and 2nd Ward Alderman Colt Moylan voted against the plan, while the 1st Ward’s Margaret Chlebek was absent.

Sayad expressed concerns about traffic and safety before the vote. Two audience members raised questions about the plan, too.

A final vote is needed for Cumberland Crossing to progress; that could happen Nov. 2.

If the project moves forward, construction could begin in early 2027. It’s projected to be completed in late 2028.

rlissau@dailyherald.com