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Scaled-back $150 million Arlington 425 plan gets village trustees' approval

Arlington Heights trustees Monday approved scaled-back plans for the stalled Arlington 425 downtown redevelopment project — which would still be the largest development in some two decades in town — in hopes shovels will get in the ground amid recovery from the pandemic.

Developer Bruce Adreani's vision for the northern three-quarters of the long-vacant block still calls for a three-building residential and commercial campus but with less density, residences, commercial space and parking. In an effort to make the proposed $150 million project more economically feasible, Adreani, of Norwood Builders, slashed the number of residences from 361 to 319 and cut the amount of commercial/office space from 43,800 square feet to 7,900 square feet.

With the village board's 8-0 vote late Monday, Adreani said final building plans will be drawn and bids secured before he makes another attempt to secure financing.

“We do face a lot of hurdles, but yet we jump over them,” he told trustees during a meeting held virtually.

Despite some disagreements with the developer on parking, board members expressed hope the project would be able to break ground on what is the last major developable space in the downtown. Their vote comes nearly two years after their initial review and approval of Adreani's larger plans. Trustee Jim Tinaglia recused himself from the vote and discussion because his architecture firm designed the project.

“We are very happy that you've come back to us and hopefully this will result in a better project for you, for us and for all concerned,” Mayor Tom Hayes said.

Specifically, the revisions remove a proposed 13-story, 125-unit apartment building on Highland Avenue that included six stories of parking. Instead a four- or five-story parking garage is in the plans.

A nine-story, 182-unit apartment building with commercial space on the bottom two floors on Campbell Street would become a 10-story, 234-unit building, with homes replacing businesses on the second floor and less retail on the streetside.

There are still plans for a first-floor, 4,000-square-foot restaurant, according to project attorney Mike Firsel.

A four-story, 54-unit residential building along Chestnut Avenue would grow to a five-story, 85-unit building. Firsel said the building would likely be apartments but could be reduced to a condominium of some 50 to 55 units.

Arlington 425 fully complies with the village's inclusionary housing ordinance approved last year, which mandates 5% of units — 16 in this case — be priced at rents below market rates. The developer will also contribute $201,800 in fees to a village housing fund, in lieu of another eight affordable units.

“It's important because you're really the first development to do this,” Trustee Robin LaBedz said. “It will then going forward, I think, allow the village to say, well, if this project can adhere to the ordinance, we can say to the next developer who's kind of hemming and hawing, you can do it, too.”

The board's approval of project revisions came with the caveat that the developer and village staff revisit the parking situation after first-phase construction of the Campbell building and Highland garage, which could take 30 months. That would include evaluating whether a fifth level should be added to the garage or if 44 spaces under the Chestnut building is sufficient.

The village staff has argued more parking would be needed in the second phase, but the developer disagrees. For now, 345 spaces are proposed in the garage.

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