Final plans approved for a warehouse distribution development at the former Huntley Outlet Center site

HUNTLEY – Back in 2017, the mall buildings which once housed the Huntley Outlet Center located at 11800 Factory Shops Boulevard, were demolished due to a lawsuit settlement from the Village of Huntley against the landowners of the property for ordinance violations pertaining to maintenance of the empty buildings.

Shortly after, Huntley Investment Partners LLC (HIP) submitted an application to the village, for a zoning change from Regional Retail to ORI-Office/Research/Industrial District.

Additionally, HIP also requested a Special Use Permit for a Preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) and a Preliminary Plat of Subdivision to allow the 60 acres of land to be divided into three separate lots for the development of warehouse/distribution buildings.

Village trustees ultimately decided to reject the development proposal at the April 11, 2019 board meeting by a 4-2 vote, citing their desire for a regional retail center as part of a Gateway Plan.

HIP claimed that the village’s plan was not consistent with nearby properties such as Weber Grill, thus imposing a hardship on the landowners due to the property not being suitable for retail, from their perspective. This resulted in a lawsuit being filed by HIP against the village in the McHenry County Circuit Court.

On Dec. 30, 2020, the court issued a memorandum decision and ordered the Village of Huntley to allow the proposed development plan previously submitted by HIP.

Director of Development Services Charles Nordman, presented all of the original plans submitted by HIP, to the Board of Trustees at the June 10 village board meeting.

Nordman reminded trustees that in light of the court order, the board’s review was to primarily focus on whether final plans materially complied with the previously submitted preliminary plans; whether plans met village subdivision requirements; and whether the 50 conditions of approval were being addressed.

“As I’ve noted, [HIP] addressed the conditions in modifying the plans. The conditions that have not been addressed, would be addressed as they proceed through the building permit review process. [They] are identified within the ordinance,” Nordman said.

The final plans are virtually unchanged from those presented at the April 2019 board meeting. There will be three buildings with the first located on the west side of the site measuring 177,320 square feet. Buildings two and three will both be just over 245,000 square feet.

Nordman added that there were a few small changes to address the conditions of approval such as adding additional landscaping along the edge of the parking lot. The former Huntley Outlet Center ground sign located along I-90 will be removed 90 days after the issuance of the first building permit. There will only be one sign on Freeman Road at the entrance to the site, as well as directional signage to direct trucks and employees to the correct parking lots.

There will be two lots of stormwater detention along Freeman Road and a private access road.

The Plan Commission reviewed the final plans at the June 7 meeting, recommending for the board to approve of the plans by a vote of 6-0.

Trustee JR Westberg asked if there were any future plans to create a secure environment if a tenant requires one.

“It could certainly be accommodated on as a needed basis upon request. We’ve separated car and truck traffic already and directional movement, but as far as security is concerned, we do that as an as needed basis for a tenancy,” said Mike Reschke Jr., a representative for HIP.

The motion was passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees, finally putting an end to the long-running development saga for the site of the former outlet center.