Car dealer to move into old East Dundee Saturn building

The old Saturn dealership in East Dundee that's been sitting vacant since 2009, has found new life as a used car dealership.

Last Friday, the village closed on a bond issue that is helping Michael Burgstone, the franchise owner of J.D. Byrider, finance the property's purchase and its renovations.

J.D. Byrider, based in Indiana, has been around for 23 years and bills itself as the largest used car and finance company franchise operation in the country.

It is expected to create 10 jobs during renovations and 25 jobs upon completion.

Construction is expected to begin in two weeks and involves minor demolition inside, a complete rebuild of the parking lots and a new roof — all of the work is expected to cost $875,000. The building is at 750 Dundee Road.

East Dundee and J.D. Byrider officials have been trying to negotiate a deal for the last 2½ years.

“It's been in the talking and selling stages for so long, this is a bit of a dream come true,” Interim Village Administrator Robert Skurla said. “I'm extremely happy it finally came to fruition.”

Because the dealership lies in the middle of a tax increment finance district, it qualifies for certain incentives.

As part of the redevelopment agreement, East Dundee officials are lending Burgstone $1.8 million to cover his costs of acquiring the property and the renovations. The village will also reimburse Burgstone up to $520,500 for other expenses related to the project — that figure amounts to 30 percent of the loan.

Burgstone, who owns franchises in Glendale Heights and Joliet referred all questions to Linda Jackson, a spokeswoman for J.D. Byrider.

“The franchisee is excited to service the East Dundee community and offer good, reliable vehicles to those with less-than-perfect credit,” Jackson said, adding that the hope is to sell 40 vehicles a month. “The franchisee feels that there are many potential customers in the area that could benefit from dealer-financed automobiles.”

The renovations are expected to conclude within 90 days from the start date.