Nearly 30 years after demolition of the 19th-century Die Cast factory, is Woodstock finally close to an agreement to fully develop the 10-acre site? That appears to be the case after Murphy Development Group unveiled its concept to the City Council last month to build 18 two- and three-story buildings with 156 apartments.. The plan […]
By Eileen Millardnews@thewoodstockindependent.com The city of Woodstock sent out an RFEI (Request For Expression of Interest) on Feb. 7 looking for developer interest after Chicago Hubs Realty pulled out of its Die Cast development deal last November. The 10-acre site, formerly home to the Die Cast factory, has been vacant in the 28 years since […]
By Larry Loughlarry@the woodstockindependent.com Development of the former Die Cast factory site will start over after Chicago Hubs Realty informed the city it could not obtain financing for its ambitious three-phase plan for a mix of senior housing, retail space, and a parking garage. The City Council last week rescinded its redevelopment agreement with CHR […]
Work on a senior housing development at the former Die Cast factory site in Woodstock would begin by September under a redevelopment agreement approved Tuesday by the City Council. The agreement with Chicago Hubs Realty calls for a five-story, 70-unit, affordable housing building for people 55 and older to begin by September, and a four-story, […]
By Eileen Millard news@the woodstockindependent.com Although new housing starts are currently slow in Woodstock, the city’s 2019 Downtown Development Plan has a goal to double the number of housing units within a quarter mile of the train depot to 1,000 by 2030. The plan envisions high-rise, transit-oriented housing within walking distance of the Metra station. […]
What does the new year promise for Woodstock? Lots, it seems. Based on what happened – and didn’t happen – in 2022, several things could come our way in 2023. Some projects are due, and some (dating back four and even five years) are overdue. But all promise to be important to the community when […]
Woodstock has an “exclusive developer” for the former Die Cast factory site, but the plan of Chicago Hubs Realty is still early in development. The City Council last week formalized its earlier discussion to have WellQuest/CHR develop the city-owned 10-acre site for a mix of uses. The plan calls for about 375 apartments and senior […]
Downtown decorations involved community effort II would like to thank all of our new contributors to the Woodstock Square Christmas decorations from Santa’s workshop. Ali Neff designed and built a partner nutcracker for the front of the Opera House. Brett Fankhauser and the Woodstock High School woods class built and decorated the directional pole at […]
Ceding control of the former Die Cast factory site to a developer is on a tentative agenda for the City Council meeting Dec. 20. That’s a rather ambitious timeline, considering council members had not heard details of three prospective developments until the first week of November. But considering the now-city-owned site has been mostly vacant […]
Three proposals to develop the former Die Cast factory site in Woodstock give the City Council a choice among apples, oranges, and pears. The Marquee, Union Place, or Central Park? Multi-family apartments, senior housing, a hotel, or all of the above? Developers of the three projects were given almost an hour each last week to […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
