On the same day that demolition crews moved in to begin taking down buildings on the site that once housed the Bethany Theological Seminary near Lombard, village officials got a glimpse of the multi-use center that developers hope to bring to the 51-acre parcel near Lombard.
Representatives of the company in line to develop the site told officials at a joint meeting of the Lombard Village Board and Plan Commission that they envision a complex featuring condominiums, restaurants, a hotel, retail stores and offices on the property.
Bringing the plan forward was Fountain Square of Lombard, a subsidiary of the Shaw Co., a Chicago real estate firm under contract to buy the site at the northwest corner of Butterfield and Meyers Roads.
Denny Stine, Shaw Co. president, said welcoming such a center is an opportunity Lombard should not pass on.
“We are very excited about this piece of property,” Stine told the officials.
Stine said his group would like to see at least four mid-rise condominium buildings of four or five stories on the property. The 270 units would be priced in the $150,000 to $300,000 range, he said.
Earlier in the day, Stine had said the property has space for four to six restaurants as well as two large, multiple-tenant structures for upscale retailers.
Stine said some potential tenants would like to be up and running in buildings by next September, a schedule that he said can be met if the Lombard process moves at the expected rate. He would not provide information on negotiations with prospective tenants.
Fountain Square of Lombard also might seek to bring a hotel to the site. Stine said the group might propose a hotel building of up to six stories and 150 rooms.
Company representatives said the development group will spend $1.5 million for landscaping on the site, including bringing in up to 700 trees. Stine said the project will include two storm water detention ponds at its southeast corner and a rock formation with water falls to serve as a Lombard gateway.
Developers would like to see part of the property zoned R-4 to allow for the residential buildings, with the rest of the development coming in as a planned unit development with a B-3 designation. The unincorporated parcel is currently zoned for office-research use in DuPage County.
Stine has encouraged village leaders to take a business-friendly approach.
Lombard officials seem to be generally receptive to the proposal, asking questions dealing with the construction schedule and issues of sensitivity to neighbors of the project.
Crews preparing to demolish the five dormitories, student center, classroom building, administration building, chapel and single-family residences on the Bethany site could be seen moving heavy equipment into place on the property. A Northern Illinois Gas service truck also was in the area, its driver saying gas meters already were being pulled from the dormitories.
The DuPage Bethany Village Coalition has led a campaign to use the buildings on the property as a housing center for seniors and troubled teenagers, among other programs.
David Sweeney, executive director of the charitable organization, said his group already is looking for alternate locations for its plans. He said the appearance of demolition crews on the property was not a surprise to him.
“We are resigned as an organization to the fact these buildings are coming down,” Sweeney said.
Lombard officials appear to be lining up to welcome a building proposal with a mix of components to the Bethany site.
Last month the Plan Commission recommended the village’s master plan be altered to show the property designated for multiple land uses.
