Plan for townhouses, shops and new District 21 HQ moving forward in Wheeling
Editor's note: The story has been corrected to say the commission approved the preliminary request for a planned development with a 6-0 vote.
A plan to build a new Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 headquarters, a small shopping center and townhouses on vacant land in Wheeling took a key step forward this week.
Wheeling's plan commission, which advises the village board, approved a preliminary request to create a planned development on the nearly 12-acre site, which is on the south side of Dundee Road and west of Elmhurst Road.
Formerly home to the Dundee Plaza shopping center, the property is between London Middle School and Dunhurst Plaza. Dundee Plaza's buildings were razed in June 2020.
The project, from Mount Prospect-based Wingspan Development, is called London Crossing.
The Wingspan team has been working on the plan for more than three years, and it's evolved over time. The proposed District 21 headquarters was added to the concept this year and first was made public in May.
"It's been a long time coming, but we're very excited," Chris Coleman, Wingspan's vice president of development, told the commission Wednesday.
According to Wingspan's plans, the district office building would be a free-standing, three-story structure of brick, stone and glass. It would stand on the west side of the property, nearest to the school.
Sidewalks and striped crosswalks would connect London Middle School to the district offices.
The district's main offices now are in the Gill Administration Center, which adjoins the middle school.
If the plan progresses, the front part of the Gill building would be razed and could be replaced by an outdoor learning space, District 21 Superintendent Michael Connolly told the plan commission Wednesday. The rest of the building, which houses technology and maintenance staffers, would remain, he said.
As for the London Crossing development, a row of connected shops is proposed for the site's north side. Not far away, a nearly 1.6-acre lot will be left for a free-standing restaurant building, Coleman said.
Finally, 11 townhouse buildings containing 55 total units would be built on the south side of the property. Coleman expects the units to sell for between $300,000 and $350,000 each.
Once Coleman finished his presentation Wednesday, plan commission members made suggestions about trees on the property, building facades and other elements. Afterward, the commission approved the preliminary request for a planned development with a 6-0 vote.
The village board will review the proposal when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at village hall, 2 Community Blvd.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the village's YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/wheelingiltv and televised on local cable channels 17 and 99.
Final reviews and votes by the plan commission and village board still are needed and haven't been scheduled.