Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hawthorne Redevelopment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developers present revised Hawthorne Mall Phase 2 plan that keeps existing mall footprint and adds 282 units
Summary
Developers showed a revised Phase 2 concept that retains roughly 130,000 sq ft of existing mall retail, adds about 45,000 sq ft of new retail and two connected 4‑story residential buildings totaling 282 units; board gave feedback and sent the project to technical review and Planning & Zoning.
Developers for the Hawthorne Mall presented a revised concept for Phase 2 on a committee‑of‑the‑whole agenda night, stressing the plan keeps most of the existing mall while adding mixed‑use buildings and new retail facing an activated public plaza.
Sam Whitebread, vice president of development for Centennial Real Estate, told trustees the updated concept avoids the larger demolition previously contemplated and retains about 130,000 square feet of the existing shopping center while adding new programmed plaza space and exterior‑facing storefronts. "We believe the land layout and the building configuration takes better advantage of the site itself," Whitebread said.
Vic Howell of Focus Atlantic said the residential portion would be two four‑story buildings connected by a third‑floor bridge and that the plan as drawn shows 282 total housing units (about 226 units in the East building and 56 in the West building). Howell also said the plan increases retail to roughly 45,000 square feet in addition to keeping the existing mall retail footprint. "The success we’ve seen with Phase 1 gives us a lot of confidence," Howell said, citing high leasing rates in the earlier phase.
Courtney Brower, also with the development team, described site circulation and parking: all residential parking would be located in a structured garage accessed from Ring Road, and approximately 106 structured spaces would be dedicated to the new retail, with additional surface parking distributed campus‑wide to support the combined retail center. Andy Chachowski of SKNI Architects described an architectural approach that breaks long facades into smaller pavilions, creates pedestrian pocket parks and replicates the double‑sided retail character found in Phase 1.
Board members raised questions about orientation, how residents will access parking and whether the mall facade work would be done concurrently with residential construction. The developers said East improvements would be prioritized early in the schedule and South improvements would follow. A trustee noted a separate exchange in the presentation where a figure of "311" units was mentioned during discussion; Howell and other presenters subsequently clarified the plan under review shows 282 units as drawn.
Mayor Byrne reminded the petitioner that the presentation was conceptual feedback only and not an approval. The developers were told to proceed to technical review, then to Planning & Zoning for a public hearing; an amendment to the Redevelopment Agreement (RDA) will likely be required because the current RDA does not reflect the revised Phase 2 plan.
Next steps: the development team will proceed to technical review, return to Planning & Zoning for a public hearing and then back to the Village Board for final consideration and any RDA amendment. No zoning approvals or ordinances were adopted at this meeting.
