Developer: Former Motorola site redevelopment plan is making progress
Schaumburg village board members Tuesday will hear a two-month-delayed update on the proposed redevelopment of the former Motorola Solutions campus, but one that still won't answer one key question.
Village Manager Brian Townsend said the update will not include specific details on building sizes or the number of residential units included in plans for the 225 acres owned by Chicago-based UrbanStreet Group LLC.
There's no new evidence to change village consultants' May report identifying a potential for 2,700 housing units on UrbanStreet's land, or of the potential for 3.3 million square feet of office space on the entire 322 acres that made up Motorola's former global headquarters, Townsend said.
The general plan is to turn the former corporate campus at the southwest corner of Algonquin and Meacham roads into a self-contained community of offices, homes, stores, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues. The site is only slightly smaller than the defined area of the Chicago Loop.
Between Zurich North America's massive new headquarters and Motorola Solutions' downsized presence along the I-90 tollway, about a third of the potential office space consultants have identified is already spoken for.
But while Tuesday's 7 p.m. committee of the whole meeting at village hall won't answer questions about residential density, it marks an important step for planners of both the village and the developer, said Bob Burk, managing partner of UrbanStreet Group.
“We're making substantial headway on an agreed-to plan and framework,” Burk said. “I think this (committee of the whole) meeting is to demonstrate the progress of the process.”
The relocation of various land uses will be a major part of this week's update. The “Main Street” retail and entertainment area has been moved closer to Zurich North America and now runs north-south instead of east-west for better exposure to Meacham Road.
The proposed greenway park system was moved to the center of the site and would run north from the development's main road to the planned urban park around the large pond along Algonquin Road. This creates a connected trail system that's easily accessible throughout the property.
Village staff are finalizing a zoning code for the project that will likely be presented to the zoning board of appeals in February for a public hearing.
The student impact from potential housing units is something in which officials of both Palatine Township Elementary District 15 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 have taken interest.
In early October, the citizens group OurD15Voice held a town hall meeting to hear District 15 officials' take.
But Schaumburg and UrbanStreet Group officials have emphasized that no proposal has included a specific number of housing units. The mostly multifamily housing under consideration would be targeted toward young professionals and empty-nesters, not families with children, they say.
Last month, state officials revealed the former Motorola site and the former McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook were the only suburban locations in the bid for Amazon's second headquarters.
Townsend said Schaumburg is willing to adapt its current redevelopment plans if Amazon expresses interest, but isn't putting the plans on hold.
Still, time is on Amazon's side. The plan is to build a new road through the site during 2018, and it's unlikely any other aspect would get far in its construction until that's done.