Cary affordable housing project hits obstacle

After hearing complaints from dozens of residents, a Cary zoning board has denied granting a variance for a controversial affordable housing project.

In 2014, the village board approved Pedcor Investments' $18 million, 60-unit apartment complex targeted for a 4.5-acre lot at the northeast corner of First and Pearl streets. The project required the property's rezoning, a conditional use permit and other variances, which also were approved last year.

Originally, plans showed 56 percent of the site would be open, with the remaining lot covered by impervious construction, such as buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, pool and patio, said Brian Simmons, director of community development.

Yet, officials recently discovered the developer actually is projecting roughly 55 percent of the site would be covered by development, Simmons said.

"The miscalculation was caught during the (building) permit process," he said.

Since the property was rezoned from manufacturing to multifamily district, the developer must comply with new requirements that sets a maximum for lot coverage at 45 percent.

"The variation was necessary before a (building) permit could be issued by the village," Simmons said.

The village zoning, planning and appeals board last week recommended denial of the developer's variance request to the jubilation of residents who have opposed the project from the start.

"I am happy the variance was denied," said trustee Jim Cosler, who led the resident opposition to the project last year before being elected to the village board as a write-in candidate in April. "It doesn't matter if this is low-income housing. The fact of the matter is they don't meet our ordinance. They are asking for the largest increase in lot coverage in the R3 zoning ever. We've had 1,900 residents speaking out against this."

Cosler said many residents still feel the project is not a good fit for that location.

The targeted site has been vacant for a decade and formerly housed a manufacturing business, according to the village.

"There could be other places in town where this would be more suitable, but they haven't chosen those places," Cosler said.

The project has been approved for federal low-income housing tax credits from the Illinois Housing and Development Authority, which requires the developer to restrict rents for 15 years. But the approval is contingent upon the developer building on that site, Cosler said.

"They pick a location based on what scores best with the state ... being close to Metra, shopping, within walking distance to schools ... there is a reason they targeted this specific piece of land and that is also why they don't want to build somewhere else," he added. "If they switch locations, they would have to reapply with the state."

The matter will go before the village board for a final vote on Oct. 20. It would require a two-thirds vote of the trustees - four votes - to overturn the zoning board's recommendation, Simmons said.

"If the variation is approved, they still have the zoning approvals from last year which they could revise," Simmons said. "Permits are basically ready to be issued. They could start construction as quickly as they revise the plans."