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After heated debate on parking, Vernon Hills committee directs staff to draft Hawthorne Mall townhome ordinance with parking contingency
Summary
Committee of the Whole reviewed Planning & Zoning’s recommendation for a 46‑unit townhome project at Hawthorne Mall. Developers described design revisions and pledged to lease an outlot; trustees pressed repeatedly about parking for Yard House and Perry’s. The committee directed staff to prepare an ordinance consistent with P&Z recommendations and to withhold townhome occupancy unless Condition 4 (surface parking) is completed or interim measures prove effective.
The Vernon Hills Committee of the Whole spent the better part of its Feb. 17 meeting focused on a revised plan for townhomes at the Hawthorne Mall campus and the knock‑on parking impacts for nearby restaurants.
Staff summarized the Planning & Zoning Commission’s recommendation for the 46‑unit townhome proposal, noting that the commission had approved the site appearance but had concerns about unit orientation and the effect on net campus parking. Staff said the petitioner reduced unit counts and redesigned Building 9 so garage doors would not face the AMC drive aisle, and the commission recommended several conditions addressing parking, common‑ownership agreements and building-code fire separation.
Representatives for the owner and developer — Sheila Eustace of Focus Development and Scott Trafter of Affineas Capital — told the committee they revised the plan after the January hearing to address traffic and design concerns and said they are negotiating with prospective tenants for an in‑campus outlot. “We fully intend to lease up that middle parcel,” Trafter said, adding the developer is pursuing two potential tenants and expects an LOI soon.
Trustees and the mayor pressed the developer on a recurring theme: lack of readily available parking for Yard House and Perry’s, especially at peak dining hours. Board members proposed interim fixes — signage, mandatory employee parking in underutilized garage levels, crosswalks and enforcing employee assignments — while several trustees insisted on a firm backstop: construct a surface parking lot on the identified outlot if interim measures do not relieve customer parking demand.
Planning & Zoning had proposed conditioning approval on construction of surface parking on the Milwaukee outlot by June 1, 2027, unless village evaluation finds interim improvements (signage and employee/valet parking assignments) effective. The committee debated accelerating that deadline to allow construction in the 2026 season but recognized permit and contractor lead times. After extensive discussion, the committee voted to direct staff to prepare an ordinance consistent with the Planning & Zoning recommendation and withhold occupancy of the townhomes if condition 4’s improvements are not completed by the trigger date or a tenant is not in active construction.
The motion passed by roll call. Staff will draft the ordinance language reflecting the committee’s timing and enforcement directives and return the item for a final vote at a future board meeting.
