Mundelein mayor outlines large-scale development, road projects and budget pressures in final State of the Village

MUNDELEIN, Ill. — At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 10, 2025, the mayor delivered his 11th annual State of the Village address, reviewing downtown redevelopment plans, major infrastructure projects, multiple residential developments and the village’s fiscal position as he prepares to leave office.

The mayor said redevelopment opportunities in downtown’s “bank triangle” — a roughly six-acre area that includes two vacant former bank sites, the former Citgo station and land between Chicago Avenue and the railroad — are the village’s top economic opportunity. The village sold the old water-building to the Fenton family, who are converting it to a brewery, and the village has entered a contract to buy adjacent vacant land to add roughly 150 parking spaces, the mayor said. He said Hezner Corporation produced concept plans last year to set design expectations for prospective developers.

The panel also reviewed three infrastructure projects the mayor highlighted as important to traffic flow and pedestrian connections. East Holly Avenue will receive federal and state grants that include about $1.5 million for a multiuse path to connect the Millennium Trail to the North Shore bike path, but the grant structure prevents construction until 2029, the mayor said. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is in phase 2 engineering on an overpass at Diamond Lake Road and Route 83; the mayor said IDOT is negotiating for property and projected a tentative groundbreaking in late 2026 or early 2027. The village completed a downtown parking expansion at Park and Seymour, deciding not to bury overhead power lines to save roughly $1 million and to preserve funding for parking elsewhere.

On…