Oct. 01–A high-end hotel has plans to build in Lincolnshire, and bring a high-end restaurant with it.
Representatives of Aloft Hotels spoke with the Village Board on Sept. 28 about building a five-story, 116-room location in the empty lot at 20 Westminster Way, between the existing Homewood Suites and the Tri-State International office complex. The plan calls for a 3,000-square-foot restaurant as well — and both the builders and the trustees noted the complexities of setting that idea up at that 1.4-acre spot.
"The site is small," said Joe Villanti, founder of Baselab, the architect working with Aloft. "It's a bit challenging."
Village authorities will not know how challenging, however, until they know what the restaurant will be. Villanti said Aloft had not made any agreements yet, but was looking for something along the lines of Cooper's Hawk Winery, Morton's The Steakhouse or Bonefish Grill.
Depending on how popular the restaurant's existing locations are, Villanti and village officials discussed the idea of valets driving customers' cars down Westminster Way to the Tri-State International Office Center, where new occupant CDW is building a parking garage.
"The hours of that garage and a restaurant would be very different," said trustee Tom McDonough, who also noted that making an arrangement with CDW might be possible.
The trustees said the Aloft brand — owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts — is aimed at young professionals on business travel. That area of Lincolnshire will see plenty of that demographic soon: Besides CDW, medical industry firm Medline is renovating the former Hewitt campus immediately to the north into its new office.
Villanti said the new hotel will offer a pool exercise room, a business area and a breakfast bar.
The plan would require three amendments to the existing "planned unit development" that governs the Tri-State International Office Center, allowing for parking in front of the building, parking for the restaurant, as well as a height variation, officials say.
"It's just something that needs to be finalized," McDonough said.
One of the Tri-State structures has a height exception, and is 65 feet tall, Villanti said.
Months ago, when the Village Board discussed and eventually approved CDW's move into the Tri-State, the height of the parking garage and, in particular, the lights hovering above its top deck, were a concern. Trustee Mara Grujanac brought that concern to Villanti: the residents of the neighborhood immediately west of the Tri-State will not want to see Aloft's glowing, rooftop logo above their trees.
McNellis said the complex's existing storm water retention pond was built to handle runoff from the lot, which is currently dirt. Villanti said Aloft might be interested in an underground parking garage, if needed.
Both this site and Aloft have histories with Village Hall. McNellis reminded the trustees that a previous board had approved the area for 36 condominiums in 2007, but the economic crash flushed that plan. Aloft also had intentions to build 150 rooms in the CityPark complex along Milwaukee Avenue, with a brick facade to match that area, which fell apart in 2008.
"Bad time to be coming forward with a hotel," McNellis recalled.
The trustees sent the proposal to the Architectural Review Board, which will send a recommendation back to the Village Board.
