The village of West Dundee has started fencing off the parking lot to the now-closed Spring Hill Mall and working with Pace to relocate its mall bus stops.
Both are the first steps in the site’s redevelopment, with demolition expected to start later this year, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.
“We have talked to Pace and they are switching the routes to still include the stops near Spring Hill Mall on Route 72 but relocating the mall stop, which was in front of Chubby Bullfrog, to in front of Kohl’s, which remains open,” Cavallaro said.
Pace Route 552 provides weekday and Saturday service from the Elgin Transportation Center and Elgin Metra Station to the mall. Route 803 provides service between the mall and Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee.
Pace Communications Director Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said the agency is aware of the mall changes and will adjust service as soon as it’s required. A passenger notice will be posted once the changes are made, she said.
Spring Hill Mall, which opened in 1980, was shuttered in March after the village closed on the $7 million purchase of the former Carson’s anchor store and the bulk of the interior mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group. Last year, it purchased the former Sears anchor store for $1.96 million and the former Macy’s anchor store for $1.21 million.
Only the Kohl’s anchor store in Carpentersville and the Cinemark movie theater complex in West Dundee remain open and in business.
“The fencing is another step forward in the necessary process in reformatting the former Spring Hill Mall area,” West Dundee Village President Chris Nelson said.
Driven Fence of Melrose Park is being paid $57,152 for the fence installation, which should be complete in about a week, Cavallaro said.
The mall’s ring road will remain accessible and parking for the Kohl’s and Cinemark areas will not be affected, he said.
Carpentersville Village Manager John O’Sullivan said Carpentersville granted West Dundee a fencing permit for the portion of the closed mall property located in Carpentersville.
“They are keeping the fencing well clear of the Kohl’s property,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s still owned by Kohl’s, and they are open for business. We checked with the real estate people at Kohl’s, and they had no objection to the fencing so long as it stayed clear of their lot.”
O’Sullivan and Cavallaro also noted the fence will be set back for those retailers and restaurants along Western Avenue/Route 31 that use mall parking spaces.
“The fencing is necessary to reduce West Dundee’s liability, to minimize the opportunity for trespassing on the vacant property and for safety reasons,” Cavallaro said.
After that, the next step is for engineering and consulting firm HR Green “to complete the bid specifications necessary to secure bids to complete the demolition work,” he said.
“It’s hoped that the bid specifications will be completed by September and bid solicitation will occur shortly thereafter, with demo work to begin late fall or early winter,” Cavallaro said.
As for redevelopment, West Dundee has been approached by companies that have expressed interest but there are no firm plans to date, he said.
However, one developer is moving forward with plans for a new residential project adjacent to the mall site on Huntley Road east of Huffman Park, which shows there is interest in the area, Cavallaro said.
“Lennar (one of the nation’s largest homebuilders) has submitted proposals for residential development (near) the northwest corner of the (mall) project, which are currently working its way through the village’s approval process. That concept is for 111 for sale traditional, front-loaded townhomes on 19 acres,” Cavallaro said.
The village’s Planning and Zoning Commission in April endorsed a preliminary plat for the Hickory Glen subdivision as well as a zoning change from regional business planned development district to low-density residential and a variance for cul-de-sac length, village documents show.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
