Carol Stream apartment proposal draws initial thumbs-down

An advisory panel in Carol Stream is recommending the village board reject a plan to build a 20-unit apartment development along Gary Avenue.

Carol Stream’s plan commission/zoning board of appeals recommended denial of the “Meridian Carol Stream” proposal on Monday after neighbors raised concerns.

The Florida-based developer, Meridian Properties, is seeking permission from the village to combine nine parcels it purchased on roughly 1.5 acres of vacant land on the northwest corner of Gary and Della avenues and build two 2-story buildings.

In addition to requesting that Carol Stream annex the site, the developer is seeking a zoning amendment to multiple-unit residential from single-unit residential, plus variations for the number of units, its 40-space parking lot, and landscaping and density.

Officials said the village board will review the proposal on July 7.

Tom Farace, Carol Stream’s planning and economic development manager, said village staff liked the apartment proposal.

“We’ve been working with the developer for a couple of years on the project, and we thought it was a good transition use from the single-family homes to the east and the industrial business to the west,” Farace said.

“We thought it was a nicely designed project from an architectural perspective and landscaping perspective,” he said. “We felt that since we haven’t had any new rental units built in Carol Stream probably since the 1980s, this would provide a newer rental option for folks who are looking for maintenance-free living or rental living.”

However, many potential neighbors attended Monday’s meeting to voice concerns about the plan. The village also received several emails opposing the apartments.

People’s concerns included additional traffic, noise, deterioration of a small but mainly centrally-located wetland area, and safety impact, particularly to children within the neighborhood.

“Ultimately, our plan commission recommended denial,” Farace said.

In its application, Meridian Properties noted that Carol Stream apartment stock has a 2.8% vacancy rate.

Other than the nearly finished Prairie Landing conversion of a former office building to apartments, most new housing in Carol Stream has favored larger units rather than apartments, potentially attracting seniors or younger renters.

“The residential projects we’ve seen in the past 25 years have been more townhomes and condos and duplexes,” Farace said. “But this is the first rental project we’ve seen in quite some time.”