Demolition of former Huntley Outlet Center begins

Demolition has begun on the former Huntley Outlet Center.

In March, the village issued a demolition permit to the outlet center owners. By court order, demolition had to begin this week and finish by June 15.

The village sued the owners in February to compel them to either make repairs on the deteriorating property or completely demolish it. Demolition already had taken place on the 8 acres on the west side of the property that General RV Center bought to expand its business.

The property, 11800 Factory Shops Blvd., has been empty since Banana Republic Factory Store shuttered in May. Huntley Investment Partners LLC bought it in 2016 from Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group.

Owner representative Michael Reschke Jr., who wasn’t available for comment Wednesday, told the Northwest Herald in March that the owners had been open to repairing and reusing the center but hadn’t found an adequate user.

The group put an application in with the village to rezone the property from its current neighborhood retail district designation to office/research industrial district, which could allow for manufacturing and assembly operations or business offices, according to city documents. The rezone request is pending.