Revised redevelopment plans for the former Haeger Potteries property give the East Dundee Village Board three residential options from which to choose, all with lower density and more parking than originally proposed.
After making a presentation in February that called for 106 mixed-income apartments and 30 townhomes, Brinshore Development returned this week with a new concept that would let board trustees select between versions creating anywhere from 89 to 119 apartment units.
In one, parking would be provided below the buildings at 7 Maiden Lane, which are being renovated to accommodate the residential development. Haegar’s kilns are to be preserved, and green space, a preservation plaza, community center, recreational space and a riverfront park incorporated into the site.
The proposed townhomes would be built on land north of the existing buildings, said Michael Roane, Brinshore Development vice president.
All three options have the same footprint, Roane said. The Haeger buildings would remain and be reused, he said.
“We want to preserve as much of those buildings as possible,” he said.
Under the first option, 119 apartments would be built in multifamily buildings that are shorter than what had previously been proposed, he said. Parking would be beneath the buildings.
Option two calls for 104 units and option three has 89 units.
Depending on what the board chooses, the more expensive versions would require economic incentives to make the project viable, Roane said.
Rents offered would accommodate various income levels. The plan is to make 20% affordable for people earning $26,000 or less a year, 60% for families with a medium income of $52,000 or less, and the rest earmarked for families with a median income of $87,000, Roane said.
The median income rents would be close to market rate, he said.
The developer plans to hold a public meeting in July to get feedback from residents, he said.
“We’re committed to continuing working with the village,” Roane said.
Village Administrator Erika Storlie called the development “a very complicated project.”
“If we didn’t buy this property, it would still be there deteriorating, or another company may have bought it and it would continue to be manufacturing,” which is what it’s currently zoned for, Storlie said.
“The fact of the matter is the board saw a vision to do something other than manufacturing in that neighborhood and make something that could be more vibrant,” she said.
Redevelopment is expected to cost between $40 million to $70 million, Storlie said. The village purchased the property for $700,000 last year and is responsible for removing hazardous materials from the site.
“If something happens there, it will be the largest investment in decades,” she said. “The biggest issue is the site contamination. There’s lead. There’s asbestos. There’s soil contamination and there’s possible water contamination.”
Haeger Properties was in business for more than 150 years at a time when there weren’t strict regulations for manufacturing, Storlie said.
“We can’t just take the building down and walk away,” Storlie said.
Demolition and remediation is expected to cost between $3 million and $5 million, she said. The village will use TIF funding to help pay for the work, she said, but the board has not yet decided how much it wants to put into the project.
“This is a very key project for the village. This is going to be transformational. We want to do it right. We only have one chance,” Storlie said. “The board and myself are doing the best we can with the cards we’ve been dealt.”
Residents in the Maiden Lane neighborhood have been meeting with trustees about their concerns and brought those issues to the Monday board meeting.
“I’m here to ask you to reconsider the scale and direction of this project as a whole,” resident Charlie Myers said. “It’s going to fundamentally change our neighborhood and downtown riverfront.”
The development could add as many as 500 people to the village, a 17% increase to its current 3,115 population, Myers said. That’s a high number for such a small area, he said, and will add a lot more traffic to the neighborhood.
“We need to ask who benefits from this because it’s not us and our community,” Myers said.
He added that it’s his belief East Dundee needs to find a developer that isn’t depending on tax-funded incentives and would propose using the site for single-family homes or upscale townhomes with retail on the building’s first floor.
“Once this is built, it cannot be undone,” Myers said. “This is the last large downtown riverfront property left. Let’s make sure we get it right.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.