Two proposed townhome subdivisions — one near the former Spring Hill Mall and the other near Dundee Middle School — will be the first new residential developments to be built in West Dundee in nearly 20 years, officials said.
While mall demolition is not expected to start until February, it appears the pending plan has spurred Lennar Corp.’s proposal to build to a 111-unit development on nearby property, Village President Chris Nelson said.
“Hickory Glen is one of the first pieces to fall into place for the development of land near Spring Hill Mall,” he said. “That it is taking place is intentional.”
Hickory Glen, going in on 19 acres on the south side of Huntley Road, was approved by the West Dundee Village Board earlier this month, according to village Economic Development Director Timothy Scott. It is adjacent to and east of Tartans Glen, a single-family home subdivision.
The new two-story homes will range in size from 1,717 to 1,840 square feet and each will have an attached two-car garage. They’re expected to cost $365,000 to $383,000, with sales possibly starting in December, Scott said.
“What appealed to the village and the board about this project was the ability to develop the property in a less-intensive manner than the large-scale commercial development that had been contemplated for the site in the past,” Scott said.
“It completes the existing neighborhood in a character- and context-sensitive manner, broadens choice, serves more market segments and life stations, and by incorporating naturalized open space, protects the vista of the immediately adjacent Huffman Park.”
Lennar also plans to build Harvest View, a 92-townhouse project, on 13 acres east of Dundee Middle School and adjacent to The Reserve at Randall Road luxury apartment complex. Approval from the village board came in July.
“Harvest View’s townhomes are differentiated from Hickory Glen in that they are three-story, urban-style units with rear-loaded garages whereas Hickory Glen’s are two-story, more traditional units with front-loaded garages,” Scott said.
Harvest View’s units will range in size from 1,764 to 2,221 square feet and in price from $395,000 to $422,000, he said. Sales could begin in November.
According to Scott, a new subdivision has not been built in West Dundee in nearly two decades. The last to go in was Carrington Crossing by Pulte, he said.
The two townhome developments are the first of what could be several projects that may get underway in the next few years, Nelson said.
“There has been a lot of interest from developers for building homes in West Dundee and not just near where the mall operated,” Nelson said.
Those include an in-fill project called Hillside Point, a 12-unit townhouse project proposed by a local real estate broker-developer for 1.7 acres of land on the south side of Strom Drive and east of Century Plaza.
The village board granted preliminary approval for the development on Sept. 9. Final plans need to go to the village’s Appearance Review Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission before being reviewed for approval by the village board, Scott said.
Once demolition is under way on the mall, which the village purchased in anticipation of future redevelopment, the village should start fielding more residential and commercial building proposals, Nelson said. A demolition contract for the mall could be approved in November or December and work started in the spring, Scott said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
