In 2024, Huntley sold its former village hall for $10. The building is the two-story hall at 11704 Coral Street, built in 1939. Over the years it held the village fire engine, a first-floor jail, boardrooms and a second-floor community meeting room. The Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce moved in during 2011.
This month, Cafe Roma plans its grand-opening weekend in the Old Village Hall for Nov. 20 and 21. That is six days after Veterans Day observances on the square and two weeks before A Very Merry Huntley. The timing works well, because the village designed this deal around the Town Square's events from the beginning.
What the $10 actually purchased
On Feb. 8, 2024, the Huntley Village Board approved three things for the building: a sale agreement, a redevelopment agreement, and a special use permit with planned-unit-development approvals that allowed a restaurant. The sale to True North Properties, Inc./The Walton Associates Family Limited Partnership closed June 20, 2024. True North had already worked downtown. It developed the former Catty property at 11117 S. Church Street, which is now The Cornell.
The redevelopment agreement attached commitments on both sides to that $10 price. The village's February 2024 agenda packet lists them.
| The developer committed to | The village committed to |
|---|---|
| Buying the building for $10.00 | Waiving building permit, water and sewer tap-on, impact and transition fees |
| About $2.5 million in estimated private investment | Installing new water and sanitary sewer service lines |
| A $1 million letter of credit covering the estimated building-shell cost | Rebating 100% of the new property tax for five years, estimated at about $30,000 a year |
| Keeping the historic two-story front | Up to $150,000 in TIF reimbursement for restaurant build-out |
| A restaurant with up to 217 seats | $50,000 a year in TIF reimbursement for five years after completion |
The packet also states the starting point plainly. As a village-owned building, the property was tax exempt and produced no property tax revenue. A restaurant tenant would generate sales tax and video gaming revenue. The village's project page puts the potential TIF support at $550,000 in total. On the other side of the ledger, a building that had brought in nothing would become a business that pays taxes and sits right on the square.
The parts of the building that belong to the square
The building's design shows the same thinking as the deal. The single-story rear additions are coming down, while the original two-story front stays. A new addition on the north side brings the building to about 5,115 square feet, plus a 1,890-square-foot basement.
Several features in the plan serve the people who come downtown for events, whether or not they eat at the restaurant:
- A public restroom at the back of the building, reachable from outside, for use during downtown events.
- A fenced paver patio along Church Street that wraps around to the Coral Street front.
- Event and group dining space inside the new addition.
- No private lot. Restaurant guests use the 565 public parking spaces spread across downtown.
The addition also extends west into the walkway between the building and the BBQ King building, narrowing that path to about five feet. Anyone who walks between Coral Street and the back of the square will notice the change.
The opening came later than first planned
When Cafe Roma's move was first reported in November 2023, the Northwest Herald gave a target of spring or summer 2025. The agreement called for substantial completion by Sept. 30, 2025. The doors are opening about a year after that date.
The village board heard the news on Oct. 8, when Village President Tim Hoeft announced the opening. "That's been long awaited. So, that's exciting," Hoeft said, according to Shaw Local.
What Cafe Roma brings from Elgin, and what is new
Chef and owner Frank Redisi has run Cafe Roma in Elgin for nearly two decades. Its last night of dinner service there is Friday, Nov. 6. During the move, the restaurant will keep handling catering and some scheduled private and invitation-only events, according to Shaw Local's report.
The Elgin favorites are coming along: pollo parmigiana, house-made meatballs, tortiglioni alla vodka, fettuccine alfredo, pollo limone and marsala. Pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and salads round out the menu. The Huntley location adds house-aged steaks and chops, house-made focaccia, new desserts and more chef-driven dishes.
The restaurant's own announcement, quoted by Shaw Local, called the Elgin location "a beloved hidden gem." It described the Huntley space as much larger, with "a full-service restaurant, separate bar, and private event space" under one roof. The interiors are Art Deco-inspired. The new commercial kitchen is built to support the dining room as well as Cafe Roma's upscale catering and private event business. In a Town Square that hosts a lot of events, a private room with its own kitchen behind it gives groups another place to gather.
Five weeks on Coral Street and the square
The grand opening falls in the middle of the busiest stretch of Huntley's downtown year. Many of these events are close to Cafe Roma. American Legion Hall is at 11712 Coral St., on the same street as the Old Village Hall, and it hosts several of them.
- Saturday, Nov. 14. The Huntley Indoor Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at American Legion Hall, 11712 Coral St. The Veterans Collection event is on the square the same day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20–21. Cafe Roma's grand-opening weekend at 11704 W. Coral St.
- Monday, Nov. 30. Last day to register a tree for the decorating fundraiser that benefits the Grafton Food Pantry. Registration also closes if the trees run out first.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. A Very Merry Huntley begins in the morning with the Huntley Rotary Club's Running of the Elves 5K at Deicke Park. The afternoon brings First Congregational Church of Huntley's annual Cookie Walk and Handbell Concert, a Kris Kringle Market, a pasta dinner at Legion Post 673, train rides, cocoa, Santa and a holiday parade. The Town Square lighting and a new drone show are also on the schedule. So many vendors applied for the Kris Kringle Market that the village closed applications.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. The Ice Sculpture Cocoa Crawl runs noon to 5 p.m. in the Town Square.
- Wednesday, Dec. 16. Ladies Night Out: Holiday Edition runs 5 to 8 p.m. Check-in is at Legion Hall, 11712 Coral St., before guests head out to participating businesses.
- Sunday, Dec. 20. Last day of the season at Shops on Main.
Shops on Main came first, and its season ends Dec. 20
The Old Village Hall is the second downtown building project to open on the square in about a year. Shops on Main, the village's 10-storefront retail incubator at 11879 Main St., opened Nov. 1, 2025. It combines four converted spaces in the Hackett House with six new standalone shops.
Its first full season began May 1, according to the Daily Herald. The shops are open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 20. This season's ten retailers are Bare Rags, Paige Eighteen Boutique, The Find - Vintage + Thrift, Wild In Ink, chARM candy collection, DD Creations Studio, Huntley Art Hub Gallery, Sew Mine, The Chef Shoppe and Pots and Pies.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Shops on Main weekend hours line up with A Very Merry Huntley. The Kris Kringle Market sets up that afternoon, and the Town Square lighting follows, a short walk from the new Cafe Roma on Coral Street.
At Lisa Wolf Team | wolfpartners GROUP, we are glad to see a building that once held Huntley's fire engine and village boardrooms become a place where neighbors can sit down for dinner. If a Town Square evening this season gets you thinking about your own next chapter in Huntley, whether that means preparing your current home or finding one closer to the square, we would be glad to help you plan it. Work With Us.
