Townhouses win approval from Des Plaines council
The Des Plaines City Council on Monday narrowly approved a proposal to construct 58 townhouses in the city's downtown, despite the objections of neighbors and a members of a nearby church.
Lexington Homes is planning to redevelop a 3-acre site at 783-841 Lee St., which now includes a mostly vacant strip mall, the former Casa Royale Banquets and the Good News Christian Center, which plans to relocate.
For the second council meeting in a row, Mayor Matt Bogusz broke a 4-4 tie to approve a major townhouse development. On Oct. 19, he was the tiebreaking vote to approve a zoning change that will pave the way for 24 townhouse buildings with 127 units and a five-story apartment building with 270 units on the site of the former Littelfuse property, 800 E. Northwest Hwy.
Bogusz got to vote on the Lexington Homes proposal Monday night because Alderman Malcolm Chester switched his vote from the Oct. 19 meeting, when the council took a 5-3 early preference, first reading vote in favor of the project. At the time, Chester said he might switch his vote if Lexington didn't resolve a fence dispute with the neighboring Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Christine Schap, chairwoman of the church congregation, expressed frustration that Lexington Vice President Bill Rotolo didn't come to a meeting with her at city hall, and she took the city's community development department to task for perceived favoritism of the developer.
Schap wanted a 5- or 6-foot-high solid stone or brick fence between the church property and the development.
George Sakas, the city's director of community development, said that would basically be a “highway wall within downtown Des Plaines,” and his office asked Lexington to build a 5-foot ornamental fence with landscaping.
“It's clear to me the Des Plaines community development department never met a developer they didn't like or embrace,” Schap said. “Immanuel and its members have helped to build this community, and we don't appreciate being discounted.”
Among aldermen who voted against the project, Jim Brookman said the houses should have more brick, and less vinyl siding. He compared the proposal with houses already built in nearby Mount Prospect.
“I think we'll get high quality projects in Des Plaines when we accept nothing less,” Brookman said. “Do we accept quality brick or are we a vinyl-siding town?”
Rotolo said other Lexington projects have had tax subsidies, and property values have sometimes been higher.
“I'm not here to say you're lesser value than downtown Mount Prospect — it's just a fact,” Rotolo said. “We have to build to the market. $500,000 and $600,000 units here would sell very slowly.”
Alderman Patti Haugeberg said the development would create traffic and parking problems because a number of the townhouses could have three bedrooms, and thus more cars.
Rotolo said a traffic study showed traffic volumes would be low compared to current uses, and the development's parking ratio of 2.5 per unit exceeds what is required by city code.
The development could take two years to build, officials say.