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Des Plaines mayor breaks tie to OK new apartment complex

Des Plaines Mayor Matt Bogusz broke a tie vote Monday to approve plans for a large apartment complex at the intersection of East River and Golf roads.

The council voted 5-4 in favor of a four-story, 236-unit apartment complex to be called Covington Lexington Woods at 150 N. East River Road. The development will be at a site previously occupied by United Stationers, a distributor for business products that left about eight years ago and demolished its office building.

Opponents of the apartment complex argue the 7.5-acre plot should be slotted for commercial development.

First Ward Alderman Patricia Haugeberg, who left office Monday along with other term-limited city council members, used one of her last votes to oppose the plan.

"I am not in favor of this development," Haugeberg said, arguing the apartment building will add traffic problems and strain city services.

Aldermen John Robinson, Malcolm Chester and Jim Brookman also opposed the plan. Aldermen Don Smith, Mike Charewicz, Denise Rodd and Dick Sayad supported the measure.

The apartment complex will be the first residential development subject to new fees.

On Monday, the city council unanimously passed a measure to charge residential developers fees to be used for creating more park space as the city faces a dwindling supply of open real estate.

The measure applies to developments with 15 or more units. Under the plan, developers must either provide 5.5 acres of land per 1,000 new residents generated, pay a fee in lieu of providing land or a combination of both. The formula assumes a land value of $200,000 per acre.

Under the fee formula, the developer of Covington Lexington Woods would be required to pay about $488,000. However, the total payment could be reduced to about $400,000 because the apartment complex would get credits for including a swimming pool and a bike path connected with the Cook County Forest Preserve District.

Des Plaines is not the first northwest suburban community to enact land fees. Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling and Hoffman Estates each have various systems for charging residential developers land impact fees.

Des Plaines Mayor Matt Bogusz
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