Construction is underway for a 254-unit apartment complex at the southwest corner of Waukegan Road and Lake Cook Road, to be known as Lake Cook Crossing, as Deerfield looks to drastically increase its housing stock. The 11-acre redevelopment sits at the back of the Dearbrook Mall, and will have a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Twenty-five will be affordable units. Construction is expected to be completed by April of 2026, but will begin move-ins in the fall of 2025 according to a developer news release. According to Andrew Lichterman, deputy village manager and director of community development, the project is an exciting development after a previous residential proposal for the site fell through. “It’s taking this former retail area that was struggling … (and) the owners have successfully converted it to this residential development, and it will support the larger retail center at Dearbrook Mall,” Lichterman said. The community will be especially walkable, he said, with easy pedestrian access to the mall and nearby Metra station. According to the developer release, it’s also close to several major regional employers, including Medline, Baxter and AbbVie. “It’s great to be able to add this type of housing to the village of Deerfield, offering this to bring people here to the community and support people living close to where they work,” Lichterman said. Lake Cook Crossing will help feed area businesses and add a variety of housing stock as Deerfield, and the country, face a housing shortage, he said. “It’s a very nice community, but it’s not marketed as high-end luxury rental,” Lichterman said. “I think that’s important. We want attainable housing here. That’s what this is.” Deerfield has about 7,000 households in total, he said. Between Lake Cook Crossing and several other residential developments in the works, Deerfield could be adding more than 600 housing units in the coming years. Since the pandemic, Lichterman said there’s been an increase in “redevelopment and reuse going on,” whether it’s rezoning office parks or, in this case, incorporating a residential space into a retail center. “How do you reuse? How do you support your shopping centers? How do you redevelop your office parks?” he said. This new philosophy is taking “underutilized” spaces and giving them a “new use.” “They’re … bringing in renters; bringing in owner-occupied; bringing high-end luxury; and bringing affordable units,” Lichterman said.