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'Sigwalt 16' will finish Block 425 in downtown Arlington Heights

A plan for 16 townhouses to fill out the remainder of the long-vacant Block 425 on the west side of downtown Arlington Heights was unanimously approved by the village board Monday.

Sanction of developer Taylor Morrison's Sigwalt 16 project follows the board's green light in May to Arlington 425, a three-building residential and commercial campus, on the northern three-quarters of the block.

It also comes after village trustees twice rejected previous plans for the southern quarter of the block. CA Ventures, a different developer, proposed a 5-story, 80-unit apartment building for the site in 2018, after slightly scaling down plans for a larger 5-story, 88-unit building in 2017.

Taylor Morrison's development calls for three buildings with heights up to four stories along Sigwalt Street between Chestnut and Highland avenues. A six-unit building would face Chestnut, and five-unit buildings would each face Sigwalt and Highland.

The previous proposals brought opposition from nearby single-family homeowners who raised concerns about size and density, whereas only one resident spoke during public comment Monday night.

Trustees were generally pleased with the plans, as they agreed to rezone the 0.96-acre site from a one-family dwelling district to multiple-family dwelling district, along with approvals for a planned unit development, a final plat of resubdivision and 14 variations.

β€œI'm really happy to see a townhome development here rather than the previous proposed apartment buildings,” Trustee Robin LaBedz said. β€œIt's much more appropriate for here. ... Sometimes I think if you wait long enough, the right thing comes along.”

Several trustees expressed hope for a curb cutout along Sigwalt to make way for a loading zone that could help reduce congestion, but the developer said it would be too costly to bury many overhead utility lines. Village officials also said they're still waiting to hear back from ComEd.

Standard homes will come with three bedrooms and two-car garages, but buyers will have options for larger sizes. Prices will range from $500,000 to as much as $800,000. The developer plans to market the homes to millennials and empty-nesters.

Because the units are for sale as opposed to for rent, village officials and the advisory housing commission recommended the board accept a $120,000 fee in lieu of below-market-rate units from the developer. The board agreed with the recommendation for the fee to be paid to the village's housing trust fund, whereas the Arlington 425 project was required to provide 18 less costly apartments for rent within its 361-unit development.

Construction on the townhouses is set to begin in the fall and be complete a year later.

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