Another housing developer eyes Fox River Grove
Fox River Grove village officials are considering a developer's proposal for housing targeting empty-nesters or seniors who might want to downsize.
Great Properties' roughly $7 million proposal calls for building 24 homes - a mix of duplexes and townhouses - on 3 acres just south of Route 22, east of County Line Road.
The site currently is owned by the village, which had planned to build a new public works garage there. Now, a new 10,000-square-foot public works facility is under construction at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Hillcrest avenues.
Village Administrator Derek Soderholm said there aren't many vacant properties left in town for development, and there isn't similar housing available anywhere nearby.
The developer has two plans on the table - one comprising eight duplexes and two townhouses with four units each and another comprising five duplexes for a total of 10 residential units and three office buildings similar to the property on the north in the Fox Glen office park.
The homes would be three stories tall with a garage at the ground level. They could be modified to include an elevator for older residents or people with disabilities, Soderholm said.
Home prices are expected to be in the low- to mid-$300,000 range. The property would be maintained by an association with residents paying monthly dues for landscaping and snow removal from driveways.
The village board's committee of the whole will consider the project Sept. 15.
Meanwhile, the village's $250 million downtown redevelopment project is gearing up for a spring groundbreaking.
Officials are working on a redevelopment agreement that could be approved in the coming months. Once approved by the village board, the developer will start closing on land purchases for the project, Soderholm said.
The 20-acre site would comprise a mix of apartments, commercial office space and retail built along both sides of Route 14 from Algonquin Road on the east to the Fox River on the west.
Overall, the proposed concept plan, by Gart Partners, calls for building roughly 500 apartments, about 90,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, and a hotel/marina. It will be developed in four phases.
The first phase - estimated to cost about $53 million - would involve building roughly 300 rental apartments on 330,000 square feet south and west of Route 14 on several lots along and between Lincoln Avenue and Algonquin Road. The site now is home to two manufacturing companies, four aging apartment buildings, three small houses and a former lumber yard taken over by a construction company.