Billboard, hot dog stand's days are numbered as Schaumburg closes on purchase of eyesore site
A highway-style billboard next to a crumbling hot dog stand at Schaumburg's northeast entrance could be gone by St. Patrick's Day.
Village officials have closed on their $700,000 purchase of the eyesore property as part of an effort to create a more attractive gateway to an area of town that includes the Schaumburg convention center, redeveloped Motorola Solutions campus and a forthcoming entertainment district.
Immediately after the closing, the village sent notice to the billboard's operator to dismantle the structure within 45 days.
Meanwhile, the village's public works department is searching for a contractor to demolish the former Frankly Yours restaurant and prepare the one-third-acre site at 1580 E. Algonquin Road for potential new use, Economic Development Director Matt Frank said.
But the end of one process brings the start of another for the village board.
"We need to decide now its future use," Mayor Tom Dailly said Tuesday, restating his preference for a sign welcoming westbound travelers to Schaumburg on part of the property.
The village's annexation of the site will be an early required step. The fact that the northwest corner of Algonquin Road and Thorntree Lane has been unincorporated is the only reason the billboard has been able to be there until now. Such structures are not allowed in Schaumburg.
The possibility for new commercial development on the land - and how it would tie in with the properties around it - will be a matter for the village board to take up now that the longtime goal of acquisition has finally been achieved.
Negotiating a deal for the site was complicated by the fact that even Cook County officials had been unable to locate its owner as recently as last summer to serve notice of code violations.
Apart from this site, the profile of Schaumburg's northeast corner has been steadily rising throughout the past two decades.
That's expected to continue with the ongoing redevelopment of the former Motorola campus and the imminent construction of an entertainment district around the village's 16-year-old convention center and adjoining Renaissance Hotel.