Sightwell Pitches $18 Million Downtown Hub in Chicago Suburb

Local firm Sightwell is pitching an $18 million development on the site of a former lumber yard in the downtown of suburban village East Dundee.

The proposed Heritage Station development would center around a performing arts center and feature a mix of retail, apartments and townhomes, the Chicago Tribune reported. The village purchased the property at 110 Railroad Street, previously the site of Doederlein Lumber, in 2023. The primary stipulation placed on the property by the village board of trustees was that any development include a performing arts center.

Sightwell was the sole developer to submit plans to the village’s request for proposal. The firm pitched an 8,000-square-foot performing arts center consisting of a 4,000-square-foot stage and 2,000-square-foot lobby, flexible seating and classrooms. A second floor would include six apartments and 10 suites of lodging.

Another residential component would face Hill Street, adding nine to 12 townhomes with alley garages and front stoops.

The performing arts center was proposed as a lease-to-own structure in order to attract nonprofit or other civic organizations to take the helm. Andy Burns, co-founder of Sightwell, said the concept is designed to promote walkability, and decisions on businesses to go in the retail component will complement existing downtown commerce.

Of the three design options proposed, one featuring a clock tower appealed most to the trustees.

Stillwell asked the village to sell the company the site for $10 and contribute $2.5 million in Tax Increment Financing. Another $10 million would come from private investors and $5.5 million from the organization that ends up leasing the performing arts center.

Questions remain about the development going forward. Located a little more than a block from the Fox River and located in a flood plain, trustees raised concerns about how that might potentially affect neighboring properties. Sightwell promised to assess those concerns in the engineering process.

A decision to move forward will come in the coming months after a development agreement is drafted with the village for board approval, potentially lending to construction starting at the end of next year, with a target completion in summer 2028.— Eric Weilbacher