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Hilton extended stay proposal likely to get Lincolnshire trustees’ approval

After nearly a year of working its way through the approval process, a 113-room Hilton-brand extended stay hotel is closer to getting final approval from the Lincolnshire Village Board.

A Home2 Suites by Hilton is planned for Knightsbridge Parkway, just west of Milwaukee Avenue.

The Village Board reached a consensus during its Committee of the Whole meeting Aug. 12 that the project was ready for a final vote on its request for a special use permit to operate.

That final decision could come as soon as the upcoming Village Board meeting, scheduled for Aug. 26 at Village Hall. Assistant Village Manager Ben Gilbertson said it would be on that night’s agenda as long as engineering plans are approved by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission.

Gilbertson said the Lake County commission is asking the project’s developers to add some landscaping which does not impact the village’s decision.

Kamlesh Patel, one of the franchise holders developing the hotel along with Vaibhav Sevale, said the primary market for the it is people affiliated with the businesses operating in the Lincolnshire Corporate Center, located west of Milwaukee Avenue and south of Half Day Road.

Patel said the typical guests will stay between a few weeks and several months, often while working on projects at businesses in the corporate center. All units would be suites with a bedroom, living area and a kitchen.

Sevale said he hopes the hotel will be open by the end of next year. It will take approximately 15 months to complete construction from the time all permits are issued. He does not anticipate guests from the general public on a frequent basis.

The corporate center is a 330-acre development with more than 35 buildings housing offices and research facilities, according to the developer’s website. Tenants include Aon and Zebra Technologies with more than 4,500 workers between them, according to the village’s website.

When Patel and Sevale first requested the special use permit, they sought a variety of variances including height, setback and parking. After the pair made a number of appearances before the village’s architecture review, zoning and village boards between September 2018 and this past July, Gilbertson said the village was satisfied.

“There is quite a bit of relief in this petition we may not see in other petitions. However, given the level of discussion at both the Zoning Board and Architectural Review Board, we feel it is appropriate for the hotel to go on this particular property,” Gilbertson said.

Though a height variation more than the allowed 45-feet is sought, Gilbertson said it is a small portion used to provide soft lighting in the immediate area. He also said the building is not visible from Milwaukee Avenue.

Mayor Liz Brandt said despite the increased height, the building will be is shorter than other ones in the area. Shilpa Purohit, the architect who designed the project, said the portion that goes over the height limit is something Hilton wants in its buildings.

“It is a crown of the building,” Purohit said. “It emphasizes the entry. If you look at the parapet of the entire building we are still within the required limits. Hilton calls it a beacon. There are no rooms up there. It gives a soft glow to the top.”

Steve Sadin is a freelancer.