A plan to build over 250 apartment and townhome units near Shelbourne Drive and Beech Street in the heart of Normal has been revived, this time with changes that could make the development more palatable to neighbors.
The Essex complex would be built on the northeast corner of Shelbourne and Beech, on what’s currently undeveloped infill land next to the Collie Ridge subdivision. There would be 19 three-story apartment buildings (228 units) and six four-unit townhomes (24 units) across 19.5 acres. There would be 504 parking spaces.
The concept is very similar to what was first pitched for the property in November 2023. Those plans were put on hold as the current landowner and buyer worked through a covenant issue with the original developer that might have restricted land use to single-family homes. Those issues have apparently been resolved, helping clear the way for potential multifamily construction on the land.
A few changes have been made to the plan. The most significant is that the proposed cul-de-sac at the end of Vanderbilt Drive will no longer connect directly to the Essex, likely reducing the amount of traffic passing through the Collie Ridge subdivision.
Another change relates to a small chunk of land (about 2 acres) on the northeast edge of the property, where Vanderbilt Drive sits. The developers have converted two lots at the west end of Vanderbilt from attached single-family to detached single-family, so that the two existing detached single-family homes will be adjacent to the same. West of that, it would be attached single-family.
To proceed, the developer is requesting a rezoning of the undeveloped Collie Ridge land. Seventeen acres would change from R-1B Single Family to R-3A Multiple Family District, according to the request. Another 2.5 acres would change from R-1B Single Family to R-2 Mixed Residence District.
The developer is Worthington LLC, which is managed by Young America Realty, one of Bloomington-Normal’s largest property management companies. They’re buying the property from Collie Ridge LLC, managed by longtime Twin City developer Don Franke.
It’s the latest in a string of developments that have been announced to address Bloomington-Normal’s well-documented housing shortage. The land at Shelbourne and Beech is considered prime real estate, as it’s centrally located infill, though the plan could attract opposition from neighbors concerned about the introduction of more multifamily housing in the area.
The project is expected to go before the Normal Planning Commission on May 8, then the Normal Town Council possibly on May 19.
