East Dundee aims to build job base

East Dundee has switched gears on plans for a transit center along one of the village's busiest corridors. The village and development consultants on Monday outlined plans to instead encourage job creation in East Dundee.

Initially, village officials and development consultants envisioned creating a transit hub on Route 72 to provide area residents access to jobs at large employers along the state highway including Prairie Stone, Motorola, AT&T, Allstate and Woodfield Mall.

However, a transportation needs study by Chicago-based SB Friedman & Co. determined an insufficient demand for a transit center.

Now, the village and consultants have changed paths to create jobs in East Dundee that would be accessible via public transportation.

"This plan brings together what we have been working on for the last three months with the comprehensive plan, creation of the (business development and tax increment finance districts) and the Dundee Crossings brand," Village Administrator Frank Koehler said. "We are now looking at creating an employment base. Initially, it was going to be a transit center, but we thought why not build on the tax base that is already here?"

The village would also develop transit guidelines that would apply to new developments; guidelines that would foster a more accessible role for transportation and which would encourage the location of buildings in East Dundee, Koehler said.

This would benefit East Dundee in a number of ways, village officials said, including construction of new facilities, more localized jobs and additional property and sales tax revenues for area taxing districts.