Redevelopment plan for Crystal Court shopping center ready for Crystal Lake City Council review

The Crystal Court shopping center sits mostly empty, but plans to transform it into a mix of retail and residential now are set to be considered by the Crystal Lake City Council.

Planning and Zoning Commission member Jim Jouron, who has been on the commission for more than 30 years, said he remembers when the shopping center located off Route 14 originally was approved, adding that it was the first piece of property he helped approve for zoning.

“[The shopping center] fell apart because of economics,” Jouron said. “People want to modernize our city. Our city is stuck.”

However, plans for the site’s redevelopment, a mixed-use development named Water’s Edge, has Jouron excited about the property’s future.

“I think this is going to be awesome,” Jouron said. “I am looking forward to it.”

The property, which is across from Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake, eventually could include 271 rental units, a hotel, a grocery store, and new restaurant and retail, according to a presentation by developers at last week’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

The preliminary zoning plan and plat for the site were met with enthusiasm from the commission and recommended to the council.

Taking into account city feedback provided last year, the developers, Fiduciary Real Estate Development Inc. and Hamilton Partners, worked to ensure there was a lot of “thoughtful” open space and the site was very walkable, said Tony DeRosa, Fiduciary’s vice president of development.

“We want to create different open areas to have one of those places where people want to go to get that picture,” DeRosa said. “There’s a lot of excitement in the community for us.”

The photo opportunity would be a plaza in the center of the site with what DeRosa described as “funky chairs,” an art sculpture, colorful backlit murals and a large sign that says “Crystal Lake.”

Other amenities would include a pool, dog park and recreational courts, said Katie Cowlin, the city’s director of community development.

The townhomes would be a mix of 20- and 30-unit buildings, either two or three stories tall, with architectural designs to reflect an outdoor aesthetic, such as wood and stone, Cowlin said.

A traffic study showed the new Water’s Edge development would generate less traffic and congestion than the previous shopping center, city engineer Abby Wilgreen said.

During a meeting last year, the developers submitted several different proposals for discussion but had narrowed down the options by last week. The major remaining uncertainty is a flexible parcel that could either become a hotel or 20 more townhome units, which would raise the overall site’s total to 291.

The first step in building out the development would be to prepare the site with utilities and road infrastructure, DeRosa said.

The developers plan to construct the multifamily townhomes and grocery store at the same time.

Although DeRosa said he could not name which grocery store for legal reasons, a potential tenant has been identified, and the developers have been speaking with possible retail and restaurant tenants as well.

DeRosa described the project, for which planning began 30 months ago, as “a long time coming” and said they were looking for formal support from the city, which they could then show prospective tenants.

As other businesses along Route 14 have thrived, the former Crystal Court shopping center has had a troubled history and failed to attract tenants.

The problems came when Walmart relocated its Crystal Lake site to a new location along Route 31 in 2007, although Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce President and CEO William Eich said moving to the bigger store was a win overall for the city.

“When that moved, it obviously left a hole in trying to figure out what to put there,” Eich said. “But the city has done a good job taking into account what our residents would like to see. We’re really excited about that site heading in the right direction.”

Both the planning commission and Cowlin said the developers have been great to work with so far.

“It’s been really great to have that common goal of having something special at that site,” Cowlin said. “This is going to meet the vision for the city and what we heard about what residents want to see adjacent to Three Oaks. It’s been a good relationship.”

The expectation is for the plan to be reviewed at an upcoming City Council meeting, Cowlin said. The proposal was not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

Mayor Haig Haleblian said he’s happy with the direction the project is going.

“It’s a complex project with a lot of moving parts and pieces,” Haleblian said. “But Hamilton and Fiduciary are first-class organizations who’ve been wonderful to work with, and this is going to be an important piece of Crystal Lake.”