Geneva townhouse development plan gets early OK

The Geneva City Council is in favor of a plan to build 30 three-story townhouses that would take up a city block next to the historic district.

The council voted 6-4 Monday for the Park Place plan that includes building townhouses, which the developer plans to sell for about $460,000 apiece, between Stevens and North streets, Route 31 and Second Street.

The council also indicated, 9-1, it is just fine with giving the developer credit for seven existing houses - despite objections from Geneva park district and school leaders - when it comes to figuring out how much money it will have to pay for the development's impact on the park and school district's facilities, including Wheeler Park, which is adjacent. The seven houses will be torn down.

The committee took four votes on the development proposal. The first, to revise the city's Downtown/Station Area Master Plan to accommodate the development, passed 8-2. The second, to rezone the properties to allow higher-density housing, also passed 8-2. The vote to grant a special-use permit for the planned-unit development was 6-4.

The developer did make a change the council had requested, eliminating driveways to the site off Stevens. The height of a building was reduced 8 inches, and one building was set back 7 more feet, since the plan was last considered two weeks ago.

As they did then, the neighbors protested the height, the density and the setbacks of the buildings.

Alderman Dean Kilburg voted against all four motions.

Alderman Mike Bruno tried to get the council to table the vote on the planned-unit development, so the council could get a rendering that would show the height of the buildings as seen from Route 31.

Aldermen Cummings and Maladra voted to table, with Cummings saying he felt there were productive talks still happening that could result in a compromise the neighbors could accept.

But Alderman Tom Simonian, who was chairman of the meeting, was adamant that the council not delay the vote again, noting the plan had been worked on by the city's community development staffers, vetted by the Plan Commission, and discussed at the January committee of the whole meeting. Talks could go on for years, he said, and still "not satisfy everyone's desires."

The city council will take a formal vote at the Feb. 17 meeting.