Oct 28, 2021

Town Center redevelopment plan unveiled

         The Buffalo Grove Village Board will consider a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)” with developers that would likely clear the way for redevelopment of Town Center.

The village made the announcement in a press release late Thursday afternoon.

Overview of proposed redevelopment

The 20-acre site would be redeveloped in multiple phases by Kensington Development Partners into a modern central entertainment and residential district anchored by a national grocery store, retail shops, a park, restaurants and luxury multi-family residential housing. The plan includes 65,000 square feet of retail space with a total project cost of $150 million.

According to the release, Kensington is under contract to purchase the property and proposes two phases of redevelopment. The first phase includes the southern and central sections of the site with a new 37,500-square-foot “nationally renowned” grocery store with an innovative format to meet the demands of today’s consumers. No specific store was identified.

A "nationally known" grocery store is
part of the redevelopment plans.

Plans call for a 7-story, 275- to 300-unit high-end apartment building with 18,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor to be built north of the grocery store.

Overall, Phase 1 features more than 65,000 square feet of retail and restaurants scattered throughout the site, including multiple outlots. Kensington is currently negotiating a lease with Guzman Y Gomez Mexican Restaurant to occupy one of the new outlots.

Guzman y Gomez is an Australian casual-dining restaurant chain that also operates internationally. Outside one unit in the United States, located in Naperville, the firm’s greatest concentration of restaurants is in Australia, Japan and Singapore.

            According to a memo to Village Trustees, Village Manager Dane Bragg noted that “At this time, Kensington just has a contract to purchase the Town Center property. The existing Boston Market, Burger King and Bowlero are not part of the redevelopment concept as they are

separately owned parcels.”

Under the terms of the MOU, Kensington will pursue Phase 2 within five years of the construction of Phase 1.

The process first began with the Lake-Cook Corridor Plan adopted in 2018. A Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, was established in 2020. Kensington went under contract with the Town Center owners to purchase the property, and with the Village, in July 2020, and has been refining the plan and negotiating a public-private partnership since that time.

The MOU specifies Kensington’s obligation to purchase and redevelop the property, per the agreed upon vision. In doing so, the Village will provide eligible TIF funds and 50-percent of the new sales tax growth in an amount not to exceed $24.75 million.

“The agreement with Kensington creates a catalyst for the ongoing redevelopment of the Lake Cook Road corridor and delivers a much-needed gathering place for our community,” Bragg says.

If the MOU is approved, Kensington will proceed with finalizing their plans and enter into a formal redevelopment agreement with the Village. Construction is anticipated to start in the summer of 2022.


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In case you didn’t know…

Buffalo Grove News and Info, is independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district and community events. Buffalo Grove News and Information is not affiliated with any municipal body.

Oct 25, 2021

Woodman's thefts / pot in the lot / spook and ladder

 Thefts hit Woodman’s -- Security personnel at Woodman’s reported that a male customer walked out of the store without paying for items totaling over $140. The subject was issued an adjudication ticket and a trespass warning.

        In another incident, store officials reported to police that an unknown female subject left the store without paying for approximately $100 worth of items.

Return to sender? A resident n the 100 Block of Lilac Lane reported her mailbox was stolen.

The vape escape -- A subject left Smokey’s Tobacco Discount, 25 N. Buffalo Grove Road, with a vape without paying for it. At the store clerk’s request, the officer left a message for the subject advising they were not allowed back into the store.

Off the hook -- A resident observed a tow truck attempting to tow his vehicle. The resident confronted the driver, and advised him that he had a residential parking permit. The tow truck driver subsequently left the lot without the vehicle.

Loud music, pot in the lot -- Police received a 911 call regarding a vehicle parked in a parking lot in the 800 Block of Trace Drive playing loud music. Officers contacted the vehicle’s occupants, who agreed to turn down the music.

        While conversing with the driver, the officer detected the odor of cannabis. The occupants willingly gave the officer a small amount of cannabis and several unopened cans of beer, which was processed for destruction. The officer spoke to the vehicle’s driver at length about what transpired, and no citations were issued.

Resident reports scam – A resident reported that he was a victim of a fraud/gift card scam. Police reports say the man stated that he received a fraud alert on his Amazon account and followed the prompts to log onto his account. He then contacted a female “representative” who informed him that he needed to purchase a gift card to assist with tracking the individuals who made the purchase. He complied, and then became suspicious when they asked him to purchase additional cards. He then ended the call. A prime example of a.) what not to do and, b.) what to do when you realize it’s a scam.


Community News and Notes

Spook and ladder?

The Fire and Police departments will host a Trick-or-Treat Drive-Thru event from 1-3 p.m. on Halloween — Sunday, October 31, at the fire station at 1051 Highland Grove Drive.

Cars should enter from and exit to Deerfield Parkway. All attendees should remain in their vehicles and have their treat bags ready. Trick-or-Treat hours throughout the Village are from 3 - 8 p.m.


Officials hope Speedway expansion fuels growth

The Buffalo Grove Village Board has approved a renovation plan for the popular Speedway gas station at 201 N. Milwaukee Avenue. According to reporting in the Daily Herald, the plan includes razing of a small office building to the north of the property. The Herald also reports that while the new location may “qualify” to be a truck stop under state guidelines, it “will be permitted to operate up to 10 video gambling machines because of the truck stop classification, but it will not offer other amenities traditionally found at truck stops, such as overnight parking, showers, laundry machines and a sit-down restaurant.”

Beth Am food pantry open Sunday

Congregation Beth Am’s Food Pantry will be open from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31. Beth Am is located at 1370 Abbott Court in Buffalo Grove. Donations of non-perishable food and paper products also accepted at that time. The pantry is open to anyone who is need.

Halloween traffic crackdown set

The Buffalo Grove Police Department is participating in a Halloween traffic enforcement program through Nov. 1.

The Buffalo Grove Police Department urges all motorists when celebrating Halloween:

·         Plan a safe way to get home before you attend a party. 

·         Designate a sober driver, take public transportation, use a ride-sharing service or call a friend to get home. 
        ·         Walking while impaired can be just as dangerous as driving impaired. If you walk, designate a sober friend to walk you home.
·         If you see an impaired person about to drive, take their keys and help them get home safely.
·         Buckle up: it’s your best defense against impaired drivers.

        The Halloween enforcement effort is made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.


Park District Winter Program Guide available online

The Buffalo Grove Park District’s winter program guide is available online at bgparks.org. Resident registration will begin Monday, Nov. 1. Winter programs and events begin Monday, Nov. 29.

Fall children’s theater production set

Big Deal Productions will present Matilda the Musical, Jr. as the fall Children’s Theatre production at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5 and 12, and at 3 p.m. on Nov. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 3 p.m. at the Community Arts Center, 225 McHenry Road.

Tickets are available for purchase at bigdealproductions.org. All tickets are $13 in advance or $15 at the door, plus a 95-cent convenience fee. All audience members, staff and performers will be required to wear a mask while inside the Community Arts Center. For more information, contact Lindsay Grandt at (847) 850-2132.

Library plans “An Evening with Author Cathy Park Hong”

Author Cathy Park Hong will discuss her New York Times best-selling book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, a collection of honest, emotionally charged, and utterly original essays that explore Asian American consciousness, in a Zoom presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4. She will be in conversation with noted Chicago journalist Monica Eng. This event is co-sponsored by multiple Illinois libraries. Registration does not require a library card. For information and registration, go to this link.

15 BGHS students get national merit kudos

The following Buffalo Grove High School students were cited as National Merit Semifinalists: Vishnuh Bala, Celia Cortopassi, Irina Kryukov, Kevin Rabinak, Spencer Sadler and Harmony Sosa;

Commended students are Reilly Allen, Lauren Benjamin, Hwando Jang, Sanjay Manoj, Sarah Ragland, Ally Robertson, Alexander Safonov, Eli Shereshovech and Kamil Waz.

Other Bison honorees

Eight BGHS students were cited by College Board National Recognition Program Scholars for their multiple academic achievements. They include Bruno Ibrahim-Betts, Troy Kowalski, Marisa Kurowski, Santino Macaggi, Ximena Jaramillo Mata, Alexa Muzquiz, Harmony Sosa and Andrea Yeverino.

BGRA plans baseball skills clinics

The Buffalo Grove Recreation Association is scheduling upcoming indoor baseball clinics, exclusively for their past and present players. These instructional clinics will cover basic skills, with a goal of improving player's abilities and to gain confidence.

Players will work in small groups on their pitching, hitting, base running and much more. Each session will conclude with fun and challenging games and contests that will allow players to demonstrate the skills that have been worked on.

The clinic will be led by experienced High School coaches and players, and Bruins Managers. For registration information, go to http://www.bgrabaseball.org.

Park District to honor veterans

The Buffalo Grove Park District will honor all veterans, their families and friends. On Thursday, Nov. 11. There will be a reception from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. followed by a program at 1:30 at the Community Arts Center, 225 McHenry Rd.
    VFW Post 981 will present and remove the colors, as well as pay tribute by presenting the flag for each branch of service. Lunch will be served before the program.

All ages are invited to this special celebration of our veterans. For more information, contact Allison Oberst at (847) 850.2146.

Lake County budget hearings set

The Lake County Board will hold its annual hearings on the County’s proposed fiscal year 2022 recommended budget on Oct. 26, 27 and 28. During these hearings, board members carefully examine the proposed budget and make recommendations prior to adopting the final budget in November.

The public may attend these meetings virtually and in person at the Lake County Administrative Building, 18 N. County St., 10th Floor, Waukegan. The schedule for all Board and committee meetings and agendas on the County website.

Job fair set for Oct. 27

The Job Center of Lake County has partnered with local employers to help connect jobseekers with local companies that are hiring. A “Hire Lake County Job Fair”, is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 27: Meet employers from a variety of industries at the fair, which will take place at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. Masks will be required. Register to attend at this link.

Student Voices

Here are links to the student newspapers at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high schools.

Buffalo Grove High School Charger
Stevenson High School Statesman
Wheeling High School WCAT News: WCAT News

Happy Birthday to...

            Buffalo Grove News and Information (BGNI), which is celebrating its third birthday! Thanks for reading!

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Got News?

If you have news about your club, school, church, synagogue or other community organization, please submit news, information and story ideas to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.

Articles should include a contact name, email and phone number. Commentary articles are also welcome. They should be limited to 350 words and should include contact information as noted above. All submissions may be edited for style, spelling, and libelous content.

Questions about B.G. News & Info. should be sent to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.

Subscribe by email

If you want to receive Buffalo Grove News & Information by email, send your email address to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.

In case you didn’t know…

Buffalo Grove News and Info, is independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district and community events. Buffalo Grove News and Information is not affiliated with any municipal body.

Oct 11, 2021

Break-in probe continues / Trick-or-Treat hours set / Police Department gets high marks

Break-in probe continues -- Police are continuing their investigation into residential break-in reported Sept. 24. Reports say a resident called 9-1-1 to report that someone had just broken into her home. The caller told police she hid in the house and could hear them talking. Officers responded to find forced entry through the front door, but the subjects had already left.

The resident reported that she originally heard someone knocking on the front door but didn’t answer it.  The knocking became louder and she called 911 and hid upstairs.

Resident falls prey to phone scam -- A resident reported falling victim to a scam in which she believed she was pursuing a new occupation. The caller sent her a check and requested that she use it to purchase gift cards.  The gift cards were purchased and the information sent to the offender. According to reports, the received check turned out to be fraudulent. The offender called while the resident was talking with police, and promptly hung up once the officer got on the phone.

Not pussy-footin’ around -- A resident in the 1400 Block of Rachel Lane called to report that a young cat has been in the area since last Sunday. The complainant was unsuccessful with her attempts to find the owner through social media.  But wait, according to Buffalo Grove Police reports The cat was taken into police custody and will be held for several days in hopes that an owner comes forward.” No charges against the cat were reported.

Locked out -- A former employee at a local storage facility contacted police to say she quit working for the company and agreed to move out of the company’s apartment. However, when she returned to gather her belongings, she discovered the lock had been changed.  She was provided a different date by management to pick up her stuff.   

Spicy situation -- A resident in the 500 Block of Highland Grove Drive reported to police that someone rang his doorbell and knocked on his front door.  When he looked outside, no one was there, but when he opened his door, he found a small plastic bottle of curry on the ground.

Bike swiped -- A mountain bike was stolen from a residence in the 400 Block of Chatham Circle during the overnight hours on Sept. 27.

Damage to vehicle -- A resident in the 300 Block of Rosewood Avenue reported finding the rear passenger window on her vehicle broken. Nothing was reported missing.

Old yellers? -- A resident reported that another resident has been yelling at them whenever they park their car in the 1000 Block of Miller Lane. Police contacted the yelling resident and they were asked to stop yelling.

Outside water turned on -- A resident 300 Block of Raupp Boulevard reported to police that someone turned on their outside water faucet.  They believed that it had been running for about an hour before a kind passer-by turned it off. Score one for a nice neighbor.

Not Netflix -- A resident called police to say that a resident was watching inappropriate movies on his television with his blinds open. The officers met with the resident, and he closed his blinds.

On the road again – Buffalo Grove police report that in the past 10 days, they have issued two citations for driving on a suspended or /revoked license , one for operating an uninsured vehicle, two for driving a vehicle with expired registration expired registration, one for excessive window tint, window tint, one for driving without a license, one for illegal lane usage, one for driving under the influence and one for failing to reduce speed.

 

Community News & Notes



Trick-or-Treat hours set

Trick-or-treating in Buffalo Grove will be from 3 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31. Residents are encouraged to turn on exterior lights to show they welcome costumed visitors, and trick-or-treaters should only visit homes with lights turned on.



Library wants your thoughts

The Indiana Trails Public Library District is surveying patrons on a myriad of topics. The survey can be found At this link. 

Survey gives cops high marks

Results of the 2021 survey taken by the Police Department showed that 96.9-percent of the more than 350 residents who returned the survey feel safe in their home or business, and 93 percent believe walking in their neighborhoods is safe. Additionally, 80.9-percent respondents feel traffic enforcement activities performed by Buffalo Grove Police officers meet the Village’s needs. The department sent out 1,500 surveys. The entire 50-page report is available here. 

17 cited during child safety enforcement

The Buffalo Grove Police Department issued 14 seat belt citations and three other traffic citations during its Child Passenger Safety enforcement campaign that took place Sept. 17- 30. 

The department joined forces with more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to increase awareness about proper child safety seat use, and to encourage motorists to buckle up. 

Village Hall closed

Village Hall is closed today (Monday, Oct. 11) in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. Normal business hours will resume from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12. 

Students get hands-on civics experience

Students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools took a crack at running the village during the annual civics forum. The annual event, coordinated by Village Clerk Jan Sirabian, gives students a chance to interact and work with staff and then run a Village Board meeting according to The Daily Herald. 

Canine costume event set

Residents who have passion for dressing their dog in a costume should plan on attending the Park District’s annual Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade from 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23 at  Willow Stream Park, 651 Old Check Road. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. Day of registration will be accepted. For more information, visit this link.

Bake sale items, volunteers sought

The Stevenson Patriot Parent Association is seeking donations and volunteers for 11 bake sales throughout the school year, beginning with the first bake sale scheduled for Oct. 20.

Stevenson parents can sign up now to participate in one, two or all of the bake sales. Donations can include a dozen donuts at Dunkin, a sheet cake from Costco, or muffins from Sam's. It’s important to note that all donated items must be store-bought.

When signing up, parents need only to pick your dates. The PPA will contact you a week before each bake sale for you to choose which treats you want to donate and if you want to volunteer at school during the sale. Sign up for the bake sales at: this link. 

Vernon Twp. lists fall food pantry needs

The Vernon Township Food Pantry is seeking items including Mac & cheese, diced tomatoes, boxed potatoes, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, Progresso & chunky soups (no chicken noodle), canned fruit and salad dressing. The Township says it is always looking for fresh and frozen items to fill its refrigerators and freezers. Items can be dropped off at the Township offices, 3050 N. Main Street. For more information, call (847) 634-4600. 

Stevenson High School gets high rating

Stevenson High School was rated the best school district in the country by 24/7 Wall St. If you’re not familiar with 24/7, you’re probably not alone.  Its website says it “runs a financial news and opinion company with content delivered over the Internet. The company’s articles are republished by many of the largest news sites and portals, including MSN MarketWatch, USAToday, AOL, and newspaper and broadcast sites across America.”  So there. 

D21 considering a health and wellness center

School District 21 is looking to open a health and wellness center inside what will be a new administrative and community service center, district leaders recently announced.  According to the Countryside Reminder, SD21 officials presented plans for the new administrative and community service center near the middle school – which will house a wellness center – as well as the district’s strategic plan and recent initiatives to address learning loss and safety as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 42,000-square-foot building, estimated to cost $15 million to $17 million, will have three floors, featuring a first-floor clinic, a second floor for district administrative offices and a third floor with community meeting space. 

Student Voices

Here are links to the student newspapers at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high schools.

Buffalo Grove High School Charger

Stevenson High School Statesman

Wheeling High School WCAT News: WCAT News

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Got News?

If you have news about your club, school, church, synagogue or other community organization, please submit news, information and story ideas to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.

Articles should include a contact name, email and phone number. Commentary articles are also welcome.  They should be limited to 350 words and should include contact information as noted above. All submissions may be edited for style, spelling, and libelous content.

Questions about B.G. News & Info. should be sent to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com. 

Subscribe by email

If you want to receive Buffalo Grove News & Information by email, send your email address to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com. 

In case you were wondering…

Buffalo Grove News and Info, is independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district and community events. Buffalo Grove News and Information is not affiliated with any municipal body.

Domestic battery charges / Restaurants closing / Cultural Fair flap at ASHS

  From the cop shop ** Domestic battery – A 35-year-old Buffalo Grove man is facing domestic battery charges following an incident in the...