Townhouse proposal could displace downtown Des Plaines church
A developer is proposing to build 61 townhouses on the site of a shuttered banquet hall and restaurant in downtown Des Plaines, but members of an existing storefront church are upset they might be displaced as a result.
Lexington Homes plans to develop three acres at 783-841 Lee St. that includes a building housing the Good News Christian Center.
"We feel part of this community and want to stay part of the city of Des Plaines," said Vern Wons, a member of the church who read a statement on behalf of the congregation Monday at a city plan commission meeting. "For this project to be completed, Good News would have to be relocated. It would be a great inconvenience."
Lawrence Friedman, attorney for Lexington Homes, said property owner Jim Moehling "made it clear to Lexington" that they should give the church the maximum amount of time to relocate. Moehling is selling the property to Lexington.
The former Casa Royale Banquets, which closed in 2012 due to declining business, and the Lee Plaza strip mall would also be subject to the bulldozer. That strip mall includes the long-shuttered Old Time Ribs restaurant, as well as an existing insurance office and hair salon.
Called Lexington Pointe, the development proposes 12 townhouse buildings, organized into four rows. Four buildings would front Lee Street, three would front Center Street, four would face each other within a landscaped courtyard, and the remaining building would front a "Central Commons."
Most of the 3-level buildings would be 3-bedroom units; a dozen homes would only have two bedrooms. Prices are estimated between $300,000 and $330,000.
The development could take up to three years to build, with construction starting May 2015, if the project is granted approval by the city council.
The city's comprehensive plan calls for high density mixed-use development on the site, currently zoned for central business district commercial use.
Bill Rotolo, vice president of Lexington Homes, said his development team explored including retail, but it was deemed not feasible, due in large part to Lee Street being one way.
"The way it is right now, we can't justify retail. We can't do mixed-use," he said. "I understand the city wants to wait for something more compatible with the comprehensive plan. (But) we'd be bringing in relatively high-income residents who will shop here, go to restaurants here - residents that, as family ages, hopefully move onto a single-family home in town."
The plan commission voted 3-1 Monday to recommend approval of rezoning of the property to residential. Commissioner Cornell Bar voted "no".
"I think it's a very attractive development," Bar said. "However I don't believe it belongs on that block. It belongs in a residential neighborhood."
The city council, which holds final authority over zoning changes, is expected to consider the proposal Nov. 17.