Arlington 425 — a proposal for a three-building residential, retail and commercial combination development designed by Jim Tinaglia, architect, former Village Trustee — has been canceled by the developer. The project faced multiple hurdles, including financing, COVID-19 pandemic issues, building material costs, supply chain issues, structural issues related to the proximity of the parking garage to the existing village parking garage at 22 South Vail Avenue, and existing underground utilities that needed to be avoided, which caused project design modifications. The uncertainty of the former Arlington Park property development was also a factor in making decisions about the Arlington 425 project.
Developer Bruce Adreani of Norwood Builders recently notified the Village of Arlington Heights that the development of the Arlington 425 project at Campbell Street and Highland Avenue has been abandoned. The developer was facing a May 6, 2025 deadline to either request a fourth deadline extension, or file for building permits and request to move forward with construction. In November 2024, the developers of the Arlington 425 project in downtown Arlington Heights had been given the most recent six-month extension to start construction on a vacant 2.9 acre site within the block bordered by Highland Avenue, Campbell Street and Chestnut Avenue, but village trustees had emphasized at the October 21, 2024 Village Board meeting — that at times involved uneasy demeanors — that there are no guarantees of future extensions.
Following the project abandonment announcement in April 2025, Mayor Tom Hayes had this to say …
“It’s a prime location. It’s well-positioned for a successful development, and the village will continue to work with the property owner and any future development partners to bring a new vision to life that will further enhance our award-winning downtown.”
— Mayor Tom Hayes, April 2025
Arlington 425 developers were met with early opposition by residents and neighbors in single-family homes nearby. The residents nearby were concerned with …
tall buildings towering over their homes with lack of a buffer,
overcrowding and traffic issues,
noise, and
the inclusion of affordable housing units in the residential buildings.
Village planners were tone deaf to the concerns of the nearby neighbors.
Hayes endorsed Village Board Trustee Jim Tinaglia for Mayor in the campaign for the April 1, 2025 election, which Tinaglia won by a wide margin. In November 2024, Tinaglia recused himself from discussion and voting for Arlington 425, but following were the thoughts of Mayor Tom Hayes in November 2024 …
“I really think we owe it to the community to try to get this property developed. We’ve been put in a tough place because if we don’t grant this extension and they have to walk away it’s going to be another five or six years before anything is built there. I feel comfortable that there has been enough progress demonstrated that we are going to get a shovel in the ground sometime next year (2025).”
— Arl Hts Mayor Tom Hayes
The board failed to recognize that the local neighboring community did not want Arlington 425 built. However, some Arlington Heights residents and a significant amount of outside affordable housing activists (e.g., from Evanston and Northbrook) were advocating for Arlington 425 because they wanted more affordable housing included in the Arlington 425 project.
An astute village board at least recognized that garbage removal might be complicated as garbage trucks maneuver on the east side of the project, discovering that personnel might have to roll dumpsters a considerable distance of travel from their storage location near the first level of the parking garage to the garbage truck during trash pickup. Former library board president Deb Smart, while somehow affiliated with the Arlington 425 project developers, indicated in the early review of the project that the garbage pickup would not be an issue.
Deb Smart also announced to the audience of concerned neighbors at a Housing Commission meeting Monday, April 29, 2019, that a phone number would be provided for neighbors to call with questions, indicating the planners of the project would be transparent. However, when CARDINAL NEWS attempted to clarify Deb Smart’s role in the development, including the company where she was employed, she was vague and evasive answering questions; and was concerned that CARDINAL NEWS was recording the interview with an Apple iPhone (wasn’t), and was not cooperative answering questions. She smirked when she was asked about the nature and the name of the company with which she declared to have an association. When CARDINAL NEWS mentioned that the company name didn’t have a clarified digital footprint online, she walked away, and out of the meeting room. Next, CARDINAL NEWS received a polite response and became engaged in a thorough conversation about the Arlington 425 project with the developer’s attorney, Michael D. Firsel. However, Deb Smart returned into the room, and told Firsel she had something urgent, and urged Firsel to follow her out of the room. Firsel, excused himself, and walked out of the room with Deb Smart. CARDINAL NEWS followed to see what might be so urgent. At the top of a winding, rectangular staircase in Village Hall, Deb Smart appeared to be sharing comedic content on an Apple iPad or other type of tablet.
The Arlington 425 project, in the latest version, featured a 10-story, 234-unit apartment building with retail and restaurant plans on the first floor at 225 West Campbell Street. The development plans had been scaled back in May 2021. Also, planned was a five-story parking garage on Highland Avenue, and a five-story, 85-unit building of apartments or condominiums along Chestnut Avenue, directly across the street from single-family homes.
Editorial Note: With the uncertainty of the development of the Arlington Park property, which would like include opportunities for several multi-family housing units, the decision to pack dense multi-family housing at Highland Avenue and Campbell Street in downtown Arlington Heights is a bad decision. Instead, Arlington Heights needs a family-oriented attraction downtown, such as an outdoor ice rink and a band shell, combined with a great green lawn for outdoor gatherings, such as the Santa Run and other running events, etc. Harmony Park at Vail Avenue and Campbell Street is too small for the large audiences that are gathering for music events. See more …
Ice Rink Attraction Would Complete Year-Round Relevance of Downtown Arlington Heights
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
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