18 trees could be removed at visible Vernon Hills corner

Landscaping generally is considered complimentary, but heavy foliage at one retail site in Vernon Hills has created an obstruction the property owner says has hampered marketing efforts.

Village officials agree and recently gave the owner of the former Wolf Camera at Fairway Drive and Route 60 permission to change the landscape plan to include the removal of 18 old or diseased trees.

"The wall of landscaping that blocks the building from Route 60, every tenant we talk to said that would have to go," said Jason Smith, of Smith Capital Management, which bought the 2-acre property last fall.

In December, Smith received village approval to proceed with plans for a 242-seat LongHorn Steakhouse restaurant. That proposal called for the building, which has been vacant about three years, to be demolished.

But that deal fell apart when parent group Darden Restaurants' had difficulties with its Red Lobster brand, Smith said.

Since 1988 when the structure was built, trees and evergreens have grown to obstruct the view of the property and building from adjacent roads, according to information presented to the village. Some trees have begun to decline due to age and species type.

A new landscape plan called for removal of trees, pruning of others to raise the canopy and creating new or re-establishing planting beds with flowers, grasses and trees and various sizes of evergreens.

While the result would be an improved appearance with better visibility, that plan "will change the character of that corner and will be very noticeable as you drive by the property," according to information reviewed by the village board. The board also was told that most of the trees were too large to be moved.

But the change would improve the look of the corner and attract tenants, Trustee Thom Koch said during a recent discussion, preceding a 4-1 vote, with one abstention, to prepare an ordinance to reflect the change. Trustee Barb Williams dissented and Trustee Jim Schultz voted present, saying he preferred to consider a new landscape plan in conjunction with a final user.

At the time, there was no pending tenant.

"At some point in the future, this building will be redeveloped. From that standpoint, this is probably the first phase of the landscaping that will be done on the site," Village Manager John Kalmar said.

"You get two bites of the apple. This is a cleanup," Kalmar said. "The second will be when you get a user there." The board last week voted 6-0 to officially approve the change.

Smith on Tuesday said the site will be cleaned up in the next week, but tree removal has not been scheduled. He added there is a potential retail tenant in the works who would reuse the existing building, but a deal has not been finalized.