SAUGANASH — A plan to build 35 single-family homes in the heart of Sauganash on the site of a former hand-tool factory, a project stalled for a decade by scandal and recession, is months behind schedule, officials said Monday.
Work is scheduled to start by the end of October on the 4½ acres at 4300 W. Peterson Ave., said Manuel Galvan, a spokesman for Ald. Margaret Laurino (39th).
The original plan, approved by city officials in 2004, fell apart amid the scandal that ultimately landed developer Tony Rezko in jail and languished as the 2008 housing crash and Great Recession brought most new home construction to a halt.
Heather Cherone says its been a winding decade of delays and debacles:
Although construction was expected to start in the spring on the subdivision dubbed the Residences at Sauganash Glen, work was delayed by an effort to change the plans to make the alleys behind the homes public streets to ensure the garbage from the homes would be hauled by city crews, rather than a private service, Galvan said.
K. Hovnanian Homes plans to follow the plan laid out by Rezko’s Rezmar Development more than a decade ago, with slight changes to the architecture of the homes, which are expected to sell for $700,000 to $900,000.
Brian Murphy, vice president of operations K. Hovnanian Homes, did not respond to a request for comment.
The land, which was once home to the corporate headquarters of Walgreens and the home of Skil-Bosch Power Tools, has been weed-strewn and enclosed by a chain-link fence since 2006.
Plans call for the homes to be 2½ stories tall, and all but five of the homes will have three-car garages. Buyers will be able to choose whether to add an elevator to their home, according to designs shown at a community meeting in October 2013.
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