Mount Prospect to spend extra $200,000 for 20 West Changes

By: Steve Zalusky

Mount Prospect will put an additional $200,000 into the 20 West development for public improvements.

Mount Prospect has already committed $2 million in incentives to the $23.5 million mixed-use project, which includes 73 luxury apartment and a two-story restaurant, at 20 W. Northwest Hwy. The funding comes from the Prospect and Main tax increment financing district.

The village board amended its redevelopment agreement with the developer, 20 West LLC, to authorize the expenditure Tuesday after Public Works Director Sean Dorsey told trustees plans have changed since the village approved the deal in March 2018.

"Some of the quantities and, in fact, some of the specifications and some of the materials are different at this point in time. As a consequence, there is a greater expense," Dorsey said. That includes $152,000 for more brick pavers, which will be clay-fired as opposed to the concrete the village is accustomed to using.

"One thing that we have noticed of late is early failure of the concrete pavers. That is, the salts and chlorides have eaten away at the concrete pavers, causing them to fail," Dorsey said while holding a deteriorated brick.

Given the amount of plowing and salt usage expected, the clay-fired brick solution is more effective, he said.

The brick pavers, Dorsey said, will help with stormwater control by holding back the first inch of rainfall before it percolates into the ground.

The village also will spend an extra $32,000 to change the location of a water main connection and increase the size of pipes for better flow, as a benefit for fire protection, he said. 

Trustees were more agreeable to the changes because they came at the request of the village rather than the developer.

"If it was the builder that decided to do this on his own, I wouldn't think I would give it to him," Trustee William Grossi said. "But if it's the village saying we want this, we want more pavers, we want a different kind of pavers, it's justifiable in my eyes."

Chris Coleman of the Wingspan Development Group, speaking on behalf of 20 West LLC, said the development is expected to open in November.