SchoolStreet Developers Propose Major Downtown Libertyville Project

After designing and executing , StreetScape Developers is eyeing another portion of downtown Libertyville.

The group has proposed a mixed-use development called Liberty Station, consisting of various housing types, retail, restaurants and public spaces on a 16-acre tract of land surrounding the Metra station.

John McLinden of StreetScape explains that the goal of the development is to add to downtown Libertyville in an organic way, so that buildings look as though they always have been there. He and his team want to design the development so that it attracts residents and visitors to walk through Liberty Station streets. Drawings show an outdoor fireplace, pavilions, inviting walkways, unique lighting and functional public outdoor spaces.

“There are so many layers to this story, so many attributes that are being created here in this compact 16 acres,” McLinden said.

Developers and Village on Same Page

After StreetScape showed interest in the prior industrial Trimm Property, located on a portion of the land proposed in the development, the village challenged the group to come up with a plan that would include the property south of the train tracks from Milwaukee Avenue to Lakeside Cemetery, north of Lake Street.

“I think overall it’s very consistent with the direction of the village’s comprehensive plan,” said Libertyville Community Development Director John Spoden, citing the village’s 2005 plan, which included redevelopment of the train station area. “Increasing residential, increasing commercial, redeveloping underutilized properties. It’s a home run. It hits all of those issues.”

Aside from highlighting the architectural elements of existing buildings like the Tudor-style shops on the corner of Lake Street and Milwaukee Avenue — and the historical American Legion building, built in 1894 as the original town hall — the commercial plans of the proposal include two new restaurant spaces, added retail spaces, a grocery store, and office building.

Increasing Downtown Living

McLinden explains that with a variety of housing types, the development essentially will create a new neighborhood.

“We estimate we’ll be adding 500 people to downtown Libertyville,” McLinden said. “What makes towns alive is people.”

Two-story walk-up row homes will encircle and hide a four-story parking structure. As smaller, roughly 1,000-square-foot homes, they will include SchoolStreet elements, maximizing on design and function vs. size.

A "pocket neighborhood" in one corner of the development will hold 12 courtyard bungalows priced in the low $400,000s, built in the style of the SchoolStreet homes.

A 250-unit apartment building is planned for the northern end of the property. McLinden explains that rental properties are in high demand, but the group wanted to design a building that looked more enticing than a “big vanilla box.” His team drew inspiration from resort hotels like The Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island and Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. The six-story building is meant to enhance the look of downtown, not look out of place.

“There’s a whole series of little things that have been thought through to make this building special,” McLinden explains. “It works even though it’s a big building because of the roof lines and the scale.”

A row of 13 additional SchoolStreet homes is planned for the extended Newberry Avenue, which will run through the development. McLinden says the development will have a Not So Big House, referring to the work of renowned architect Sarah Susanka, creator of the Not So Big series of books and ideas in architecture. Her work was executed in the Not So Big Showhouse in the SchoolStreet development.

Along with other architects, consultants and developers, Susanka has been involved with the planning of Liberty Station, and as McLinden explains, has helped put into language some of the details and elements of a thoughtfully-designed mixed use development.

Village and Community Weigh In

McLinden says he’s shown the drawings and talked to residents about the development and believes that the overall reaction has been positive. He also presented the plan to the board of directors, which expressed further excitement.

“We certainly like what John McLinden has done with the SchoolStreet development project right now,” MainStreet Libertyville Director Pam Hume said. “We know what he does, and we know that he will be bringing some very good things to Main Street.”

The Trimm Property is under contract, and McLinden says he’s working to get phase one started as quickly as possible, after working through certain hurdles with the village.

“The challenge in our mind is going to be traffic, ingress and egress to the site,” said John Spoden. “We’ll have to make sure that it doesn’t have a negative impact on the neighborhood.”

McLinden is excited to get started on the project but says that he wants to have an ongoing dialogue with the residents of Libertyville.

“This is not just about us doing it. It’s about getting the community behind us to make this thing happen,” McLinden says. “Let’s get everybody involved in this, and it’s just going to be better if we do. I’ve sat around kitchen tables with a handful of residents, but I want to talk to all of them.”