East Dundee will redevelop the downtown Doederlein Lumberyard property in phases, starting with building demolition, performing arts center planning and new road configuration.
The change in plans comes after the developer who planned a retail/residential project for the entire site backed out of the deal.
Speaking to the East Dundee Village Board Monday night, Village Manager Erika Storlie said she understood Sightwell Inc.’s decision to end its involvement “because of current economic conditions mostly related to construction costs, tariffs and geopolitical activities. … It’s a very challenging environment right now to build anything.”
However, because of the construction the village can tackle in the coming year — namely, starting work on a new performing arts center and reconfiguring roads to accommodate the site — plans to build a downtown soundstage this fall will have to be postponed, she said.
The village board Monday agreed with Storlie’s assessment and agreed to start the process by having remaining lumberyard structures demolished so the land is development ready.
The village also will move ahead with the construction of the Raue Center for the Arts. Based in Crystal Lake, the theater group remains committed to building a new performing arts center on the lumberyard site, Storlie said.
“We love this project. We think it will be meaningful to the downtown,” she said.
The center is to be funded by bonds sold by the village that would, in turn, be repaid by Raue in a lease-to-own deal. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2028 and be completed in 2029.
No price tag has been announced for the project. Storlie said Raue officials have chosen a venue name and plan to announce it at a future date.
“We have confidence that working with Raue, we could move forward with the performing arts center,” Storlie said. It can be done “unobstructed by other complications that arose because of bundling it with the previous project,” she said.
East Dundee needs to create a request for proposals for the center and to hire a construction management team, she said. The process is similar to what was done when the village built a new downtown parking deck, which opened last year.
The village also will proceed with Sightwell’s proposal that street improvements be made to accommodate the lumberyard redevelopment. Meier Street from Barrington Avenue to Railroad Street will be converted into a two-way street, a gravel parking lot will be used to change Meier into a complete street, and Railroad Street between River and Meier streets will be closed.
The road work will be done in spring 2027 under the village’s new plans.
Delaying the soundstage construction will give officials time to fine-tune its design and get more specific cost estimates, Storlie said. Bid proposals could be sought by November with construction slated to begin in spring 2027, she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
