'Literally destroy our lives': Neighbors vehemently oppose Buffalo Grove apartment plan
The redevelopment of the long-vacant Rohrman auto dealer site on Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove is running into opposition from its potential neighbors.
A Tesla sales, service and delivery center, and a multi-tenant commercial complex are the highlights of the plan, but it's the proposed four-story apartment building next door that's facing objections from residents.
Many of those residents vented their concerns Wednesday during a neighborhood meeting at village hall.
They say the 229,200-square-foot, 224-unit apartment building would sit just 79 feet from single-family homes.
"It will tower over the homes, with balconies and windows looking directly into the back of our homes," said Bob Dinnerman, a 30-year Buffalo Grove resident who lives behind the proposed apartments. "This is not only going to reduce our home values, but it's going to potentially cause security issues and intrusion into our lives."
Neighbor Jerry Ostrower said the village assured him before he moved there more than 30 years ago that the land behind the former auto dealership, now planned for the apartments, would remain vacant.
"I have put every penny I have in building this house, and I stand to lose all of it," he said. "All we're asking is that you consider our needs as well as the developers. This structure in its present form, in its present location, will literally destroy our lives."
The homeowners proposed a solution that would shift the apartment building to the east, next to Bison Park. Dinnerman said it would leave the Tesla business and the commercial area untouched and give the new residents an adjacent park.
Louis Schriber III of the Shorewood Development Group said in an email, "Currently we are evaluating all options."
In October, the village's planning and zoning commission recommended rezoning the land from business to residential to allow the apartments. The commission's chairman, Mitch Weinstein, has pointed out that leaving it with a business zoning would allow for a warehouse to be built there.
The village board is expected to vote on the proposal Dec. 4.