'Exactly what people have been talking about': 2-story spot with restaurant planned in Lake Zurich

The owners of a popular downtown Lake Zurich bottle shop and gastropub are submitting a plan for a new two-story restaurant and commercial development on lakeside property the village has been trying to sell since around 2006.

Under the plan, Consume's owners would leave 569 W. Route 22, where they've been for seven years, and move to the 85,819-square-foot parcel at 173 W. Main St., referred to as “Block A.”

Owners are in the process of submitting their plan to the village, a Lake Zurich official said Wednesday.

The new Consume restaurant would take up the second floor of the building, and the business would also operate a bottle shop at one of three commercial tenant spaces on the first floor.

The restaurant would be designed to let diners enjoy views of the lake from inside and on large balconies.

The plan received positive feedback from village leaders during a courtesy review last month.

“I think that you've got a winner here,” Mayor Tom Poynton told the Consume team. “This is probably the first item for this property that we have seen that a greater majority of the community wants.”

Poynton said that over the years all developers have proposed are variations on residential projects that haven't gotten far.

“This is exactly what people have been talking about for 20 years,” Poynton said.

Several village leaders said the residents they've talked to are excited about Consume's plan. Trustee Marc Spacone said he felt the plan was the right design for the location.

Block A used to be owned by several private owners. The village acquired the land over the course of seven or eight fair-market-price real estate purchases from 2002 to 2006, according to village officials.

Those purchases were part of a strategy by previous village leaders to revitalize the downtown by creating a special taxing district to buy land, make general improvements and assist with other development-related costs.

Block A is one of a few village-owned parcels acquired in the 2000s that have yet to be sold to a developer.

When submitted, the Consume plan will first need to go before the village's planning and zoning commission and then on to the village board for a final ruling.