A third of Walgreens headquarters property in Deerfield to be sold for residential development

Chloe Hilles, Chicago Tribune
·2 min read

One-third of the Walgreens Boots Alliance headquarters in Deerfield is under contract to be sold for about 18 acres of single-family home development.

To allow residential development at 300, 302 and 304 Wilmot Road, the village must approve a rezoning petition to change it from an industrial to general residential district.

Pulte Group, Inc., a residential home construction company based in Atlanta, proposed demolishing the existing structures in the northern third of the corporate campus to develop the site with 42 single-family homes — calling the development “Leclair Estates.”

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The potential sale comes after the village amended its industrial district zoning code to prohibit motor freight terminals, logistic centers, fulfillment centers and facilities used for the parking or moving of trucks during a Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 20.

Changes to the zoning code are to clarify that warehouse and distribution facilities are restricted in village boundaries, as e-commerce expands and more local fulfillment centers are needed. Warehouses burgeoned across the Chicago metro area at a record-setting pace in 2023, surpassing records set the previous two years.

In September, Bridge Industrial, a real estate development company, withdrew its petition to annex, rezone and develop the Baxter International headquarters after the company’s plan to redevelop the site into an industrial business park was met with strong resident opposition.

Baxter ultimately took the property off the market.

New homes in Leclair Estates will range in size from 2,722 to 3,899 square feet and offer four to six bedrooms, two to four garages and full basements, according to a memo from the Deerfield staff. Each home will sit on about 9,000 square feet of land.

The developer plans to offer six home types, and three of the new homes will be affordable to meet the village’s affordable housing ordinance, the memo said. A small community park is also planned for the development.

To address privacy and sound concerns, the developer plans to extend the existing berm along the north end, and add an additional berm to the east side of the property. A 15-foot sound wall is proposed along the west and south property lines, according to the village memo.

Pulte anticipates closing on the land and securing the necessary entitlements by December, according to the memo, with plans to start project construction in early 2025 and have all homes sold by 2028.

Walgreens declined to comment on the site sale and redevelopment. Attempts to reach Pulte Homes were unsuccessful.

chilles@chicagotribune.com