Developer returns with scaled‑back multifamily plan on Tri‑State Parkway; board generally receptive

Fiduciary Real Estate Development returned to the Village of Gurnee Planning and Zoning Board on May 7 seeking informal guidance for a proposed rezoning and multifamily project on a 16.7‑acre parcel along Tri‑State Parkway between Grand Avenue and Cemetery Road.

Anthony “Tony” DeRosa, principal with Fiduciary Real Estate Development, described a revised plan that the team said would rezone the site from O‑2 (general office) to R‑6 (multifamily residential) and build a multifamily community on the parcel’s buildable portion. DeRosa said the overall site is about 16.7 acres, with roughly 6–7 acres described as buildable because of an on‑site stormwater facility and an adjacent wetland area: "The orange shaded area on the right, that's what's actually buildable on the site. It's about 6 to 7 ish acres," DeRosa said.

DeRosa said the developer substantially reduced the prior proposal’s density. He told the board the team had reduced the earlier plan of about 140 apartments by 20 units to a total of approximately 120 apartments and removed all three‑bedroom units in the revised plan to reduce appeal to families with school‑age children: "All of our 3 bedroom units ... have been completely removed from the plan," DeRosa said. He described other changes including doubling a minimum setback along Tri‑State Parkway (from 10 feet to 20 feet), relocating and reducing frontage buildings to improve streetscape activation, avoiding wetland buffer encroachment, and avoiding an existing sanitary‑sewer easement that the prior plan had infringed.

DeRosa also described amenities and design features: walking paths and benches through the wetland buffer, a relocated clubhouse facing the parkway, direct‑access garages for some units, in‑unit washers and dryers, stainless steel appliances and a proposed outdoor pool. He estimated the development would take about 18 months to build and said typical market rents on comparable projects range roughly from $1,600 to $2,200 per unit.

Board members asked detailed questions about parking, traffic, visibility at drive aisles, school bus stops, and adjacency to nearby industrial and commercial uses. On parking, DeRosa said the plan provides approximately 225 parking spaces and that this exceeds the code requirement (he referenced required parking of about 215–218 spaces). When asked about potential congestion at the site entrances, he said the developer will commission a traffic study and coordinate with the village engineer to address sightlines and driveway depth. On school buses, DeRosa said the team had not yet studied bus stops or routing but would accommodate them during detailed design if needed.

Several board members said the revised plan was a clear improvement over the earlier submission, citing reduced density, greater setbacks, removal of three‑bedroom units, and improved landscaping and sidewalks. Other board members expressed lingering concern about locating residential uses amid surrounding commercial/industrial properties and asked for additional traffic and visibility analysis.

Because this was an informal review, no formal vote was taken. The board’s overall guidance was receptive and encouraged the petitioner to continue design refinements, complete traffic and parking analyses, coordinate with village engineering and staff, and return with a formal application when ready.