Fox River Grove to welcome Lord of Beers tap house, looks to lock down developer for Block B

Fox River Grove’s plans for residential and commercial growth are underway as the village announced a developer for the recently demolished Block B site and completes construction on rental homes near Route 22.

The village selected developers Harlem Irving Group and Hamilton Partners to create a mixed-use development on the downtown block that was demolished and cleared into a grassy lot last year. The project is expected to include 7,000 square feet of commercial space, 100 apartments and parking, Village President Marc McLaughlin said Friday as he shared achievements and future plans at the annual Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

The site, often referred to as “Block B,” extends from Lincoln Avenue to Illinois Street along Route 14 across from the village’s Metra station. A restaurant with a covered outdoor space and townhome buildings also may be included in the plan, McLaughlin said.

Once a final concept is determined, the developer will formally propose the project for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Village Board. Concept plans could come to the board as soon as next month, McLaughlin said. Construction could “optimistically” start as early as this fall, according to a news release from the village of Fox River Grove.

“We are excited about the opportunity to work with developers like the Harlem Irving Group and Hamilton Partners in Fox River Grove,” McLaughlin said in a news release. “This group has a proven track record in the northwest suburbs, and we are confident that they will be successful in bringing to market a project that will help transform downtown Fox River Grove.”

Near Route 22, the Redwood Apartment neighborhood of 110 single-story rental homes is currently under construction, with leasing expected to start this spring. Each home has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage in the “age-targeted but not age-restricted community,” McLaughlin said. More than $130,000 in annual revenue is expected to go to the village, he said.

“The cool thing about that is all the streets, sidewalks and space is to be maintained by Redwood,” he said. “There’s no additional financial burden on the village to maintain that community.”

As for the long-abandoned apartment complex at 401 Algonquin Road, the village still is seeking court approval to demolish it as lawsuits among contractors and the developer continue. Contractors began building the 100-unit complex in 2019, but the project has been stalled since 2022 over lawsuits that claim contractors are owed millions of dollars by the developer.

The village has been trying to seize control of the property, filing for eminent domain in the courts last year over assertions that the area is blighted. Future plans for the site still are to be determined, as the village expects the acquisition of the property will be a timely process, McLaughlin said.

“That’s our first plan of attack,” he said. “After that, we’ll regroup. [We’ll see] where’s the market, where we’re at with Block B.”

McLaughlin highlighted other village wins at the chamber breakfast, including another year of remaining debt free since 2019. Fox River Grove is one of nine municipalities in Illinois with a population higher than 4,500 to hold that status, McLaughlin said.

A tap house and restaurant called Lord of Beers is expected to open at the strip mall where the Panera was located.

The construction of Lions Park is expected to start next year after receiving $600,000 from Illinois Department of Natural Resource grants. The village plans to replace aging amenities and add several new features, including new tennis and pickleball courts and new half-basketball courts. It also plans to replace the existing picnic pavilion and playground, add parking and a new open-air shelter, regrade and seed the baseball and soccer fields, and add trails, according to a news release from the village.