'An opportunity for both': Elgin Mall vendors say move to East Dundee would benefit the village
The Elgin Mall's new owners on Monday presented their plans to turn a shuttered Dominick's in East Dundee into an indoor center featuring the Elgin Mall's more than 80 vendors.
The Elgin Mall Group told the East Dundee village board it plans to apply for a special-use permit for the indoor mall at 535 Dundee Ave. It hopes to open in May, when the lease for the existing Elgin Mall, at 308 S. McLean Blvd. in Elgin, expires.
A popular weekend destination, the Elgin Mall attracts thousands who shop for traditional religious items, clothes, furniture, boots, jewelry and electronics.
"We get a lot of foot traffic," said Jose Manuel Verastegui, a co-owner of the Elgin Mall Group, adding the mall has a "loyal" customer base. "There's a lot of clientele that travels just to come visit us."
While the village had hoped to lure a grocery store into the former Dominick's location, the storefront has sat vacant for more than a decade with no interest from grocers. The new building owners say the only other proposal they've received has been from storage facilities.
Still, some say the village should hold out for a grocer.
"I personally don't believe that a grocery store won't succeed there," Village President Jeff Lynam said, later adding he doesn't believe the indoor mall is a right fit for the space.
But others noted grocers have not located in East Dundee because the village lacks the demographics grocers want.
"I want a grocery store, but I don't want a building to sit vacant forever," Trustee Tricia Savio said.
Trustee Sarah Brittin noted the village could benefit from the sales tax revenue generated by the mall.
The vendors estimate the mall could generate $12 million in annual sales. That would create an additional $240,000 in sales tax revenue for the village.
Moving to East Dundee also would give the new ownership group a say over how the indoor mall is structured. The Elgin location, set up 20 years ago under different ownership, is an open mall where individual shops are mostly separated by cloth partitions and have open storefronts.
Owners said the mall in East Dundee would be designed to include permanently enclosed spaces for each shop.
Vendors also would be required to adhere to design standards covering flooring, paint colors and signage.
"We want to operate efficiently and empower our businesses," said Rosa Leal, a mall co-owner whose shop sells traditional Western wear. "We want to improve."
Owners estimate the costs to transform the shuttered Dominick's store into an indoor mall to be about $500,000 to $700,000. Mall vendors have committed to financing construction costs.
The owners also hope the success of their businesses helps the surrounding area. Verastegui noted the foot traffic at the Elgin Mall has helped spur changes in the area, including a Starbucks opening in front of the mall.
"This would be an opportunity for both of us," Verastegui told village officials.
Leal said the mall group plans to request a special-use permit for the indoor mall. If the application is submitted this month, the village's planning and zoning commission will likely review the permit request in January, East Dundee Village Administrator Ericka Storlie said. Trustees will have the final say on approval.