'A very ambitious vision': Mundelein mayor touts massive Ivanhoe Village development during annual speech
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz kicked off his annual State of the Village presentation Monday night by touting a massive residential, commercial and industrial development coming to the village's northwest side.
But before beginning his prepared remarks, Lentz thanked Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park for attending less than a week after President Joe Biden was heckled by a Republican lawmaker during the State of the Union.
"I don't think tonight's goings-on will be anything like the State of the Union address you were at last week," Lentz joked, getting laughs from the crowd.
"I promise not to heckle," Schneider responded.
With the comedy completed, Lentz launched into a review of the sprawling Ivanhoe Village development near Route 60 and Route 83.
Houses, townhouses and other multifamily buildings, shops, factory buildings, parks, lakes and other features have been proposed for land owned by the famed Wirtz family.
It will be "a community all unto itself," Lentz told the audience and people watching at mundelein.org.
The Wirtzes - owners of the Chicago Blackhawks and the United Center, among other businesses - will retain the land and oversee the project during construction, a process that could take 25 years, Lentz said.
"It's a very ambitious vision," Lentz said.
With roughly 2,600 residential units expected to be built as part of the project, Ivanhoe Village could increase Mundelein's population 30%, Lentz revealed. About 32,000 people live in town now, he said.
"We are very excited about this project," Lentz said.
Lentz also talked about residential developments now underway in town, including Morris Station, Cardinal Square and Townes at Oak Creek - the latter of which is being built on the site of the former Oak Creek Plaza shopping center along Townline Road.
"It was shocking how much land was there," Lentz said. "They're really making great progress down there."
Lentz reviewed changes to this summer's Community Days celebration, too - the biggest of which is a temporary relocation to the plaza at village hall because of construction at Courtland Park, the usual site of the fair and events.
Lentz answered questions from the audience after the speech.