advertisement

Barrington neighbors, developer asked to forge compromise

After more than two hours of public comment and debate on a proposed 21-unit townhouse development in the Roslyn Road neighborhood, the Barrington plan commission Tuesday night asked the residents and developers to work on a compromise before the commission decides whether they will recommend the plan to the village board next month.

The two groups have very different opinions on the plan, which calls for construction on what is now a vacant lot on the southwest corner of the intersection of West Roslyn Road and North Cumnor Avenue.

According to a survey conducted by the neighbors and presented to the plan commission during public comment, 98 percent of the neighbors said they were opposed to the project. Among their voluminous concerns were that it would change the character of the neighborhood, which at present is predominantly single-family homes.

“It is bringing high-density development into a pristine community that has been perfectly happy,” said Paul Schmitt during his half-hour long presentation against the development to the plan commission.

The residents suggested to the commission that they do not recommend the plan and instead zone the vacant lot to be made into single-family homes. The lot is likely large enough to fit five single-family homes on lots sized similarly to others in the neighborhood.

Moises Cukierman, president of ILM Homes Inc., said he did not believe that anyone would build single-family homes on the site because the land is adjacent to the GE Healthcare center at 540 Northwest Hwy., which is zoned for manufacturing. Cukierman said in the future, the GE center, which at present does not create a lot of noise, could be sold and redeveloped into something less friendly to neighbors.

Plan commission member Dan Hogan said he liked the developer's plan when he first heard about it, but after hearing the residents' concerns that it would compromise their neighborhood's character, he was more inclined to vote against the plan. Hogan said he appreciated the quality of the presentation against the plan and the developer's case for it. He added that the only problem he had with the discussion was when members of the crowd would roll their eyes or shake their heads while the developers were speaking. Hogan also said that if the GE property ever was redeveloped into something less friendly to the neighborhood, the neighbors may come to regret opposing the townhouse development, which he said could serve as a buffer to the manufacturing area.

The two sides will meet at least once before the plan commission's meeting on August 23. The meeting or meetings will include at the very least Jodie Nettelhorst, the president of the Roslyn neighbors' group, and Cukierman, as well as a member of the village staff.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.