East Dundee officials are spending $175,000 to purchase property at 110 N. River St. for a public parking lot, but that likely will not be its final use.
The sale was pushed back a week Monday evening by the village board to clarify some expenses, but Administrator Bob Skurla shed some light on the village’s thinking. He said proposals have come in to create permanent parking there.
“But the balance of the board said ultimately, ‘that’s a nice buildable lot. (Parking) is probably not its highest, best use when there’s land in a floodplain across the street that could very appropriately be used for parking,'” Skurla said.
Still, the need for parking in that area is immediate, he said, so it will be paved for now, but marketed as a potential retail or commercial site.
Another possible use was shot down in December when the Planning and Zoning Commission voted against granting a height variance for a four-story mixed-use development proposed by Joe Billitteri of Lake in the Hills-based Premier Commercial Realty and business partner John Curtis. They purchased the property last summer.
Last month, board members approved spending $175,000 in tax increment financing funds to purchase the site which once held the pink house longtime East Dundee resident Brad Giertz had been working on for nearly two decades. Trustee Allen Skillicorn voted against the measure while Trustee Rob Gorman abstained.
Developer Joe Billitteri of Lake in the Hills-based Premier Commercial Realty and business partner and general contractor John Curtis purchased the property last summer with the intent to build a four-story mixed-use development.
But during a sometimes-contentious Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in early December, officials voted down the height variance they needed to allow for the development.
At that planning meeting, Billitteri said he was approached by OTTO Engineering President Tom Roeser about buying the land for a parking garage. Roeser opposed the mixed-use development, urging downtown business owners to join him in saying its design did not reflect the area’s historic character.
Prior to the December meeting, Roeser sent a notice to the downtown business owners encouraging them to attend.
After being denied the variance, Billitteri was said to have considered several options before ultimately deciding to sell the site to the village.
At Monday’s meeting, Roeser contended Billitteri had other possible buyers, but feared the village’s reaction.
Skurla disputed that, saying, “nothing could be further from the truth. [Billitteri] from his own volition said, ‘You have the best interests of the village at heart.’ He wants to continue doing more deals with us. He has two or three in the wings,” Skurla said.
The board’s decision Monday to table a proposal to accelerate the sale was practical, he said.
“The sellers are looking to recoup their money so it can go toward other local investment projects,” Skurla said. “For [Billitteri], time is of the essence. He has another deal pending. But because there was some doubt raised in regard to what were eligible expenses, the village board wisely chose to lay it over for next week.”
Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter.
