Oakbrook Terrace development going before DuPage County Board
A controversial development proposal near Oakbrook Terrace is on its way to a vote by the full DuPage County Board with a unanimous recommendation by the board's seven-member development committee.
The committee voted Tuesday, and the issue could be up for a board vote in a week, where it seem headed for approval.
Last month, the committee shot down the proposal, but resurrected it moments after the vote on the condition developers return with a plan to reduce residential density that shows positive effects on traffic congestion.
Originally, the plan called for more than 2,100 residential units on about 80 acres. Because the committee wants the developer to leave 500 senior housing units untouched, developers would have to remove about 450 units from the proposal to meet the new guidelines. In addition to the senior housing guidelines, the committee also imposed a 10 percent rental limit on condominium units and required 10 percent of the entire housing stock be priced for local workers.
The Lakes of Royce Renaissance development has met the ire of Oakbrook Terrace and local park district officials for years because of density issues. In late 2007, developer Robert Krilich successfully de-annexed the parcel from Oakbrook Terrace after years of wrangling over the size and scope of the project. The sides even fought while Krilich was in federal prison stemming from a fraud conviction. He has since been released and is living in Florida. He has not appeared at any of the county's hearings on this project.
Park district officials again complained Tuesday that the proposal doesn't provide any park land for residents. Developers can offer cash in lieu of land so the park district can purchase open space elsewhere, but Oakbrook Terrace Park District commissioner William Cizek said that won't do his group any good.
"We don't need money, we need land, and this was all there is left," he argued.
The parcel sits in the county board's District 2 and all three board members from that district said they favor the proposal. District 2 board member Jeff Redick is also a development committee member and he said there are safeguards in place that don't allow construction to take place unless the developer and park district agree on some kind of land swap. That's one of the reasons he supports the proposal, he said.
The proposal needs only 10 board votes for final approval and seemingly already has nine with the committee's seven votes and the other two District 2 board members, Pat O'Shea and Brien Sheahan, on board.