Construction begins on townhouses at former Rolling Meadows Dominick's site
Monday marked a new chapter for the former Dominick's site in the Rolling Meadows' downtown, with construction equipment on site and city officials putting shovels in the ground to ceremonially break ground on a new townhouse project.
Construction workers already have spent the summer prepping 9.5 acres of the 11-acre Kirchoff Road site for the 106-unit Meadow Square townhouse development. They demolished old asphalt and removed underground foundations left behind when the grocery store and other retailers started closing up shop in 2004. Crews now plan to work on underground utilities and build a ring road that will connect Kirchoff with Meadow Drive, before the first houses start to take shape by the end of the year.
In total, the 54 three-story homes with rear-loaded garages and 52 two-story homes with front-loaded garages are proposed to be complete by the end of 2021, according to developer Taylor Morrison.
"I think this community is going to do well for us, and the city of Rolling Meadows," said Rick Champine, the company's Chicago division president.
City elected officials who attended included Alderman Mike Cannon, Alderman John D'Astice and former alderman Laura Majikes. They were among the five aldermen who gave the project final approval April 9, which was a week after local elections but about a month before the new council was seated.
New Mayor Joe Gallo, then an alderman, was among the two council members to vote against the townhouses. He instead pitched a concept for a city town center, and argued more of the site should be preserved for commercial use.
Clark Street Development retains two 0.8-acre commercial lots fronting Kirchoff. The company brought forward the latest townhouse concept after other redevelopment proposals - from townhouses, apartments and retail, to a proposed senior housing community - fell through or were rejected by the council.