Apartment boom in the 'burbs

Driven by demand from empty nester couples selling homes and young professionals wary of entering the housing market, construction of new apartments has soared in the past five years.

More than 2,800 units hit the market last year and thousands more are under construction. Yet, some municipal leaders remain wary of approving multifamily plans. Notable projects include:

Arlington Heights: Last week, the village board rejected a proposal to build an 88-unit apartment building on vacant land near downtown on Sigwalt Street. But the seven-story Parkview Apartment project is under construction near the Metra station and two other complexes await village approval.

Batavia: Developers are proposing a $30 million redevelopment of the historic Campana cosmetics factory into 80 market-rate and subsidized apartments. The village has delayed final approval, however, and residents' opposition has been intense.

Des Plaines: Crews broke ground late last year on a development with 24 townhouses and a 270-unit apartment building on Northwest Highway west of downtown. Across town, a complex with 236 units is under construction on East River Road.

Lincolnshire: The Lake County village of 7,000 will welcome its first apartment complex at the City Park shopping center at Milwaukee Avenue and Aptakisic Road. ECD Group, which developed the shopping center, is reducing the size of the Regal Cinemas movie house to make room for the 302-unit development.

Lisle: Marq on Main in the village's downtown will have 201 apartments and 14,500 square feet of commercial space, including a second location of Elmhurst-based Red Arrow Tap Room barbecue restaurant. Apartments should be ready by summer 2018.

Schaumburg: For the first time in three decades, new apartments opened in the village this summer at the North 680 on Algonquin Road. Just a few blocks away, land left vacant by Motorola's shift to Chicago has the potential to house 2,700 units, according to a village consultant, but no formal proposal has been announced.

Wheeling: The village is having a residential boom with the creation of its downtown Wheeling Town Center, a $110 million development anchored by a 300-unit apartment building and 10-screen movie theater. Construction is underway, while work is expected to begin next year on hundreds more apartment units and proposed townhouses near the Metra station off Dundee Road.

- Chacour Koop