Elgin has a lot to look forward to in 2026, with development activity happening throughout the city, officials say.
Elgin Community College is expected to open its $85 million manufacturing and technology center at 1600 Spartan Drive in the fall. The 150,000-square-foot building will help the college expand its programs in manufacturing, engineering and technology, according to the college’s website.
Its role as a regional collaboration hub connecting students, faculty and industry partners will strengthen the local workforce, ECC officials said.
Just down the street, School District U-46 is building a new football stadium at Larkin High School. The district is investing $11.8 million in the 3,500-seat stadium and addresses a situation in which Larkin was its only high school without a sports arena.
U-46 officials said the stadium, which will include a concession stand and plaza, means the Larkin football team will no longer have to play games on rival Elgin High School’s field.
A downtown project at the former McBride Building, located at 269-271 Douglas Ave., involves transforming the second and third floors into a 26-room boutique hotel. The historic building was built for Thomas McBride Jr. in 1892. McBride and his family were prominent Elginians for approximately 100 years and contributed to the economic development of the town.
The lower floor of the building will remain reserved for commercial windows.
Another downtown renovation is taking place at 61 S. Grove Ave., the former Rancho Vargas. Work is underway to stabilize the building, and construction is expected to begin soon on a two-story mixed-use development, Marc Mylott, Elgin’s community development director, said in a social media post about upcoming projects.
It also includes the Illinois Youth Soccer Association’s plan to build a new headquarters and large indoor dome at 909 S. McLean Blvd., Mylott said.
“This is just a preview of what’s to come,” he said. “2026 is shaping up to be another busy year in Elgin. »
Elgin has had a lot of development activity in 2025, he noted. Among the projects were 280 new apartments at the corner of Randall and Hopps Road and 160 single-family homes to be built in subdivisions on the far west side of the city.
Downtown saw an influx of new residence halls with the opening of 40 DuPage Court and Judson College’s new dormitory, Glunz Hall, at 28 N. Grove Ave. The Association for Individual Development (AID) has opened a new campus on State Street.
U-46 has initiated several ongoing projects. Construction has begun on the new Legacy Middle School, located at 2604 Rohrssen Road, and renovations at Kimball Middle School and Century Oaks Elementary School.
Work on Elgin’s first solar farm has begun at Bowes and Nolan roads, Mylott said.
A new McGrath Nissan dealership has opened at 2635 Auto Mall Drive, near Randall Road. New businesses included Churros y Chocolate, 66 S. Grove; Morbid Moments, 225 E. Chicago St.; and a Starbucks at 1007 N. Randall Road. The Lodge Performing Arts Center, 18 Villa Court, opened this year, bringing a new event and theater space to the city center.
The year ended with a new Kane County satellite location for the county clerk and health department offices at 2170 Point Blvd.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
