Oaks of Vernon Hills Development Plans Move Forward

A proposed luxury rental community in Vernon Hills took a step closer to reality this month when village officials gave preliminary approval to The Oaks of Vernon Hills.

Proposed for the former Kelly Day Camp property along Route 45 are 17 buildings that would include 256 apartments and 48 rowhomes. The development would sit adjacent to the Corporate Woods development.

Village officials on Feb. 5 signed off on Kinzie Real Estate Group’s plat of subdivision, site, landscaping and elevation plans, while adopting a series of conditions.

Specifically, officials said they want to ensure that a single entity will own all of the buildings and that Vernon Hills will have the authority to sign off on any future conversion of the rental units to individually owned condos. The conditions were put in place to address concerns about the long-term maintenance of the property.

“We’ve got the clubhouse, pool, access road. We’ve got a lot of issues here that have to be addressed by one entity,” Village Attorney Robert Kenny said.

Officials also reviewed the results from a traffic study that looked at the development’s potential impact on Route 45.

“If [Route 45] was widened, we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” said David Brown, director of public works. The village has long advocated the widening of that road, but such plans are not part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s plans for the next five years.

Brown said that a residential development would have a lesser impact on traffic in that area than alternative uses.

“Land uses that compete with the exiting Corporate Woods, Continental Executive Parke and other peak [p.m.] drivers are more problematic. Generally, these land uses should be avoided from a traffic perspective,” he said in a village memo.

John Kalmar, assistant village manager, said an additional traffic study will be conducted before a commercially zoned parcel at the entrance of the property is developed.

Plans for the residential development were presented in November to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The developer said then that The Oaks of Vernon Hills was designed to appeal to young professionals, empty nesters and corporations providing relocation housing. Monthly rent is expected to be about $1,300 for a one-bedroom apartment, $1,700 for a two-bedroom apartment and $2,300 to $2,500 for a rowhome. (See attached video.)

The Planning and Zoning Commission will review the plans again before sending it back to the Village Board for final consideration.

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