The concept of a store owner living above his place of business may seem more akin to a European village than to north suburban Grayslake. But one builder is hoping that the theme, while borrowed from the Europeans, will sell in the Lake County market.
Washington Village, located along Washington Street across from the College of Lake County, is a mix of 42 single-family houses, 21 townhouses and 32 manor homes.
The unique section of the 26-acre development is a retail area near Washington Street. Plans include 17 retail townhouses that will have retail space at street level, with living quarters for shop owners on the second floor. Two sections along Washington Street, in front of the retail townhouses and near the main entrance to the development, are zoned for commercial use.
The property was annexed into Grayslake in 1989 and then was approved for zoning as a planned unit development (PUD), said Kirk Smith, zoning officer. The builder, Washington Village Ltd., approached the village with the idea of having small businesses, such as a bed-and-breakfast or a country restaurant, in the retail townhouses, Smith said.
The PUD designation allows the village to have more control over the architecture and ensure that the building designs follow certain guidelines. The 10-acre commercial section, for example, will have to be built with colonial-style architectural details that will blend with the surrounding residential area, Smith said.
“We’re always looking for good commercial tax base,” Smith said. “That was a key point as far as the village was concerned.”
The zoning also prohibits some types of businesses in the commercial area, such as lumber yards or car dealerships that would not blend in with the planned architectural theme.
“The theme that they are trying to create is unique,” Smith said. “It’s not unique to put retail on a major road like Washington Street, but the type of buildings are unique.”
Pricing for the combination retail/residential units has not been finalized, but interest has been strong, said David Wennstrom, president of Washington Village Ltd., the development’s builder.
Several businesses have expressed interest in the retail area, which is targeted toward smaller businesses.
Hair-styling salons, delicatessens and doll-restoration stores are examples of the types of businesses that would fit the motif, Wennstrom said.
Wennstrom developed the idea during visits to Europe, he said. “If you go to Europe and go down a hill and see a steeple, chances are you’ll see a village around it.”
He then brought the idea to the LeWa Co., a development company in Lake Forest, for help with developing and financing, he said. The design was modified from the European version, with a park and gazebo-instead of a church-serving as the center of the “village.” Picket fences, trellises, classic lampposts and park benches further display the colonial theme.
Chicagoans will find the combination of retail space with street level stores and second and third floor apartments along Halsted and Clark streets, for example. Those small-business owners typically are not living above their businesses, because of rental rates or other factors.
In suburbs, smaller retail spaces usually are in strip malls or larger enclaves of stores. Wennstrom hopes the idea will draw businesses that want a different atmosphere, noting that there is no place in the suburbs for people to buy retail space and live above it.
Behind the retail section is a horseshoe-shape drive, appropriately named Mount Vernon, that leads to the rear of the property. The park, with manor homes and townhouses surrounding it, is inside the horseshoe.
Single-family homes are along the outside of the horseshoe, lining the west, north and east sides of the property. A Lake County forest preserve is adjacent to the property on the west.
The singe family homes range in size from 1,813 to 2,241 square feet. All residential designs have names from the colonial period-Jefferson, Grant, Madison, Lincoln, Adams, and Washington for the single family homes.
The manor homes and townhouses are two- and three-bedroom units, priced from about $130,000 to the mid-$160,000. The single family homes start about $190,000 and can reach about $300,000, with customization.
