5-story apartment, retail building planned for vacant block on Route 14 in Fox River Grove

Developers are pursuing plans for a five-story, mixed-use building on a 2-acre downtown block in Fox River Grove.

Older buildings on the property facing Route 14 were demolished last year and the block has been sitting as a empty, grassy lot last year. The site, often referred to as “Block B,” extends from Lincoln Avenue to Illinois Street across from the village’s Metra station. Developers Harlem Irving Companies, Hamilton Partners and Zeller are partnering for the project to construct the building with 7,000 square feet of commercial space and approximately 95 apartments.

The plan calls for studio, one- and two-bedroom units with 3,500 square feet of tenant amenities on the ground floor, including a gym and a workspace area. The layout provides a “posh” and “boutique hotel-feel from the street,” Harlem Irving Companies President Rick Filler said at the pre-application conference held during a Village Board meeting earlier in June.

The commercial space can be divided into two spaces for retailers or restaurants, according to village documents. A total of 148 parking spaces are planned with an outdoor lot and street parking.

The village has been seeking a development for the property for years. An initial agreement with a previous developer with a similar plan fell apart last year. The village first announced the new developers’ plans in February.

The team of developers also created downtown Crystal Lake’s Enclave apartment and townhome complex, located at 111 E. Crystal Lake Ave. Currently, available units there range from $2,360 to $3,380, according to its website.

Developers will charge rent for “as much as we can get,” Filler said. The average rate in Fox River Grove is about $2,000 a month for a studio apartments, $2,500 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,800 for two bedrooms, Village Administrator Derek Soderholm said.

Filler said developers are using a similar footprint as the Crystal Lake building, and expect the Fox River Grove rental market to perform the same as Crystal Lake’s.

The plan is not yet finalized, as developers are still trying to configure the number of studio apartments will work best. Originally, they were looking to add townhomes, but scratched the plan because of limited space and parking requirements, Filler said.

Village Trustee Devin Hester alluded to a separate development, the long-abandoned apartment complex at 401 Algonquin Road, over which lawsuits among contractors and the developer continue. The village is currently seeking legal authority to demolish and take ownership over the property.

“We’ve had some bad luck with people running out of money,” Hester said.

Filler said developers have the capital required for the Block B project.

Next steps will be a formal proposal to the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission, and then the plan will move to the village board. Residents will be able to share their thoughts on the proposal in an upcoming public hearing that will be held once more details are available, Soderholm said. No public comments regarding the development were taken at last week’s meeting.

“There’s a lot more work that goes into this,” Soderholm said. “There’s more public meetings, most likely at minimum of three.”

Developers could “optimistically” break ground as early as this fall, according to a previous village of Fox River Grove news release.