Two projects mark 'monumental' progress near Mundelein Metra station
An agreement to develop the remaining lots around Mundelein village hall was big news in town this week but another key piece for the general area near the Metra commuter station already is underway.
Site work began a few weeks ago for Station 250, a planned four-story building with 166 apartments immediately south of the village hall fronting Archer and Chicago avenues.
The $40 million project fronts Plaza Circle a circular road around an unimproved public plaza in front of village hall intended as a future gathering place.
Chicago-based Synergy Construction Group is developing Station 250, named for its Plaza Circle address, as the first private development in the Village Hall subdivision.
The property, then home to industrial users, was purchased by the village in 2012 as part of a master plan for the area between the Metra station and Seymour Avenue south of Hawley Street downtown.
The village hall and Plaza Circle were the first structures in the subdivision. Station 250 is occupying 3.2 acres and Indianapolis-based Flaherty & Collins is pursuing a $68 million residential project on the three remaining lots, which will complete the subdivision's development.
However, both will receive considerable incentives. Synergy will be reimbursed up to $12.79 million and Flaherty & Collins up to $15.975 in eligible expenses through a special financing district designated for the area through 2039.
Village officials have said redevelopment of the Village Hall subdivision would not be economically viable without incentives.
Attracting multifamily housing to the area will support existing businesses and strengthen the residential tax base, according to the findings of fact for Station 250.
Last fall, the village agreed to rezone two parcels so they could be combined and developed as Station 250 under a single set of standards. The property includes part of the Metra parking lot created in 2005 but underutilized since.
The project, described as being market-rate luxury apartments, will include a fitness center with separate yoga/Pilates studio; an outdoor resort style pool with hot tub; indoor sauna; indoor dog-wash station; multiple outdoor barbecue/kitchens; DIY room; and, multisport simulator room.
According to information provided by the village, Synergy has designed, developed and built hundreds of projects in Illinois, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. This project and others are meant to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly area with a mix of uses and access to bus and rail transportation.
Mayor Steve Lentz has said the village for several years has been pursuing efforts to "de-industrialize" the downtown and has made significant progress the last 12 months.
Senior Planner Taylor Wegrzyn noted much has been said about the big picture.
"But this year has been a truly monumental one in advancing the long-term vision for the Village Hall subdivision as prescribed in village planning documents since the 1990s," he said.
Synergy paid the village $1.2 million for the property and will be paying $984,600 in permit and impact fees to various entities. The company also will contribute up to $150,000 for Plaza Circle improvements.
Flaherty & Collins will pay the village $1 million for the property, about $1.4 million in permit and impact fees and $300,000 toward plaza design/construction.