Another Hinsdale Luxury Car Dealership?

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale may get another luxury car dealership, as long as the village approves its zoning, which seems likely.

Mouse Motors, which is in Chicago, wants to move to a vacant lot on the northwest corner of Ogden Avenue and Salt Creek Lane.

It sells McLaren cars, which are made in the United Kingdom. The current "entry point" for a new McLaren is $237,500, according to the dealership.

Mouse plans to house its inventory in a two-story, 45,000-square-foot building. The plan is to include 75 indoor parking spaces and 45 outside.

Mouse projects it will sell 300 cars a year. The dealership says it would be a low-traffic site.

To make the project a reality, the village would need to change the current office zoning to general business. Parking may be the only code issue.

On Tuesday, Mike Marzano, Mouse's general manager, presented the preliminary concept to the Village Board.

He pointed to increasing Chicago crime as the reason the business wants to move to Hinsdale.

"We have looked at other areas in the surrounding villages," Marzano said. "Hinsdale makes the most sense."

Village President Tom Cauley said he saw no parking deficiency. And he said a dealership was good for Ogden Avenue because it generates sales tax income, as opposed to a fitness center, doctor's office or beauty salon.

Cauley said the dealership would benefit from other luxury dealerships on Ogden, such as Land Rover.

He asked whether any village trustees had any objections. No one did.

"I think it's a go from our perspective, but you have to run the gauntlet," Cauley said, referring to the Plan Commission process.

One of the dealership's representatives asked whether it needed to do a traffic study.

Cauley said he didn't think so, but village staff said the commission would require it.

Cauley said he didn't want to step on the commission's toes.

"In my view, people hire traffic studies to say what they want them to say. So I don't think there will be a traffic issue," he said.