Hoffman Estates Approves 335-Unit Grand Reserve Project

A long-dead Menards site in Hoffman Estates is finally getting new life, with the village board signing off on a 335-unit luxury apartment complex aimed at jump-starting activity at the east end of Barrington Square Town Center.

The two-building project by Synergy Construction and Development, operating as Grand Reserve, will roll out in phases, the Daily Herald reported. The developer says it’s starting construction along Higgins Road to maximize visibility to passing traffic, with the second structure following soon after the first wraps in roughly 18 months. A prior pitch in 2023 from The Prime Company to develop a 600-unit luxury apartment complex on the site never got legs.

Phase one calls for a five-story, 194-unit building with studios and one- and two-bedroom units over 282 parking spaces, with 86 spaces in a garage. The second, four-story structure will add 141 similar units and 206 parking spaces, including 11 spaces indoors. Across both buildings, residents will get 20,000 square feet of amenities, including a gym, pool and pickleball courts, coworking areas, golf simulators and dog wash stations. Construction is expected to begin this spring and be completed by 2030.

The board also approved up to $8 million in tax increment financing eligibility, contingent on completion of both buildings.

Trustee Gary Stanton raised concerns about parking congestion for Barrington Square tenants, though Village Manager Eric Palm said the businesses want the increase in nearby residents. Retailers see the added foot traffic as a net gain, Palm said, despite long-standing skepticism about residential projects tapping TIF funds.

Mayor Bill McLeod, who has usually opposed using TIF dollars for housing, signed on after trustees noted that rental buildings behave more like commercial properties under the tax model and bring few school-age children. The complex is also subject to annual reporting protocols that let school districts capture additional funds if enrollment rises.

The site’s TIF district, created in 2012 after Menards’ demolition, expires in 2035. With the clock running, village officials pitched the subsidy as a short-term play for long-term tax base growth, easing pressure on existing homeowners.

Trustee Patrick Kinnane said the project finally puts a “prime piece of real estate” back in motion after more than a decade of stagnation, aligning with the retail center next door and the village’s broader push to revive underused commercial corridors.

— Eric Weilbacher