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Topgolf cut from Lincolnshire redevelopment proposal

Plans for a three-story Topgolf driving range have been cut from a proposed development in Lincolnshire, months after the concept was criticized by residents.

Updated documents for the project, which focuses on a 43-acre office campus on Half Day Road west of the Tri-State Tollway, no longer include Topgolf.

Instead, Chicago-based developer GlenStar Properties envisions an unspecified restaurant, an unspecified 200-room hotel and a commercial recreational facility - along with a 450,000-square-foot athletic facility to be called The St. James that has always been part of the proposal.

This would have been the first Topgolf in Lake County. Others operate in Naperville and Wood Dale, and one is planned for Schaumburg.

But the plan got a rough reception during a public hearing in February.

Many residents expressed fears about noise, traffic and nighttime light. Some even heckled GlenStar co-founder and managing principal Rand Diamond as he tried to assure the crowd the plan would be appropriate for Lincolnshire.

An updated rezoning and redevelopment application GlenStar submitted to village hall last week removed Topgolf from the plan.

"Given the concerns expressed by some of Lincolnshire's residents (about) Topgolf, and our desire to develop the property in a way that would appeal to the vast majority of Lincolnshire's residents, we decided to focus on bringing The St. James to the site," Diamond said Friday.

The St. James is the centerpiece of the current plan. The two-story facility would have an indoor pool and water park, sports fields, ice rinks, batting cages, a health club and many other amenities.

Mayor Elizabeth Brandt said The St. James could be a big draw because Chicago-area indoor athletic facilities are hard to find and in much demand. It could reduce travel times for local athletes and make scheduling practices easier, she said.

Additionally, visiting athletes who compete or practice at The St. James are likely to eat at Lincolnshire restaurants and stay at Lincolnshire hotels, too, Brandt said.

"The St. James club would be an amazing addition to Lincolnshire," she said.

GlenStar's new planning documents offer only general details about the proposed hotel, restaurant or recreational facility.

A public hearing on the revised development plan is set to follow the village board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. July 30 at village hall, 1 Olde Half Day Road.

Brandt still expects some public opposition to the plan, but not as much now that Topgolf is out.

Northfield-based Medline Industries owns the land where GlenStar wants to build, but the medical supply giant has never occupied it. Aon Hewitt has a data center there, and two other office buildings are vacant.

All three buildings would be razed if the village board approves GlenStar's proposal.

More information about the GlenStar plan can be found on the village's website, lincolnshireil.gov, by clicking on the link for new Lincolnshire developments.

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