Officials took a step toward establishing a plan for the former site of the Purple Hotel at a Village Board Committee of the Whole meeting earlier this month.
Richard Tucker, CEO of Highland Park-based Tucker Development Corporation, presented a concept plan for the site of the former Purple Hotel.
The plan Tucker presented at the June 5 meeting was preliminary and subject to change upon further feedback from the village’s Plan Commission and the Village Board in the weeks and months ahead, Tucker said.
The proposal served as an initial introduction to the Village Board and the public as to how the developer’s team has interpreted what Lincolnwood officials want to do on the 8.47-acre site, he said.
Community Development Director Steve McNellis noted during the meeting that what was being discussed was a concept plan.
“Uses, building sizes, layout…that’s all going to change as we move forward,” McNellis said. “This is a general idea that Tucker Development is providing.”
McNellis also said there are many meetings that need to occur at the Plan Commission level and with the Village Board before solidified proposals for the site can move forward. He said he believes final approvals for developing the site could come by the end of the year.
“Within 2018 is what we’re aiming for,” he said.
Tucker’s plan involves a combination of residential space, which was described as a building that could include luxury apartments for rent, as well as retail, commercial and potential hotel space.
The apartments would include one- and two-bedroom units and would target tenants in the “young professional” category, new families that have yet to require a larger living space and empty nesters who no longer need a large home, Tucker explained.
The plan also illustrated the potential for a plot of park space to provide for a community feel, allow for walkability and host events like farmers markets.
Trustees Georjean Hlepas Nickell and Jean Ikezoe-Halevi both raised the issue of having desired a larger green space on the land, but Tucker said the exact size and placement of the green area could be adjusted as the overall plan continues to garner feedback and changes.
Also adding to the developer’s presentation was the design consultancy firm that is working with Tucker Development.
“We’re really conscious of having this become sort of an authentic downtown area and to have a good relationship between the buildings to create a really nice outdoor space and an amenity for the entire village,” said Demetrios Stavrianos, senior associate vice president for Baltimore-based architecture firm CallisonRTKL Inc.
Stavrianos said he is the firm’s lead designer.
Tucker also said he is not sure yet whether a hotel is appropriate for the site.
“If it is, this would be the location for it,” he said. “We have had discussions with the owners of the property adjacent to it.”
Tucker added that his team has spoken to some hotel users, but noted his firm does not have significant experience with hotel development. He said his development company has “a grand total of one” hotel that it has as part of its portfolio of projects.
More Top Picks Best Samsung Tvs
“That’s not our expertise,” Tucker said. “We want to make sure that whether we stay in partnership or another player comes in, we want to make sure that is in fact the right thing for the community and the project.”
Trustees Hlepas Nickell and Jesal Patel noted that the community has sought a high-quality hotel and venue space for some time.
Tucker offered a number of possible site layouts during his presentation, though he seemed unsure of whether a hotel would be a fit for the site.
He suggested that a restaurant would play well for the area.
“Our intention is to have a significant restaurant, and this shows significant outdoor seating for that restaurant,” he said during his presentation.
Tucker Development became the contract purchaser for the site on April 15 and the firm introduced itself to the village board at the April 17 Committee of the Whole meeting, marking a change following a long process of debates with the former potential contract purchaser ZS Development.