After years of the property sitting idle, construction has finally begun on the Forest Edge subdivision in Glencoe, with 29 houses set to be part of the project.
The sale of the approximate 12-acre parcel in the 1800 block of Green Bay Road closed in July, and building activity has now started on the land commonly known as the Hoover Estate.
“A timeless product is what we are looking to construct here,” said Simon Berger, managing partner of Estates of Glencoe LLC, the new property owner.
Berger said the plan is create 29 lots for prospective owners to have their house custom built. Another option will be for developers to present six different floor plans the coming weeks, according to Berger.
He said all the houses would have at least four bedrooms, and two or three models will be designed for “empty nesters” with ranch style homes ranging from 3,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet on 1/3 to 1/2 of an acre.
He said two or three other models would be two-story homes between 3,600 square feet and 4,200 square feet. Another model is expected to be a two-story hybrid with the primary bedroom on the first floor.
“We are really just taking our time to deliver this product that this community both wants and needs,” Berger said.
Berger said the cost of the lots are expected to start at $950,000 and the model homes will have an estimated starting cost of over $2 million.
He said nine lots have already been sold and the rest of the parcels would be for sale in up to eight weeks. Currently, crews are installing sewer and sanitation systems to start the construction, and Berger believes the first homes could be finished by the first quarter of 2026.
“We want everything to be top notch,” he said.
The start of construction is a new chapter regarding one of the biggest changes in the Glencoe real estate market in decades.
Near the end of 2018, the Hoover family — of the eponymous vacuum cleaner business — sold the property. The purchasing developer intended to create the new subdivision, which required village approval.
After a series of lengthy meetings with neighbors expressing concern — mostly over the stormwater management plans — the village board eventually approved a proposal in October 2020. In conjunction with the sale, buildings, stables and manor house on the land were razed, and the property was renamed the Forest Edge Subdivision.
However, the previous owner never started construction, citing high interest rates, labor shortage and supply chain issues.
The situation turned again when Estates of Glencoe LLC announced their intention to purchase the property and the deal was finalized earlier this summer. In anticipation of the sale, in May the Village Board approved some small changes to the existing agreement.
Village President Howard Roin, who previously expressed frustration that the property was dormant for years, said he is now happy that construction has started.
“I’m glad that after all these years,” he said, “that they are proceeding.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer.