Request to scrap garage from Des Plaines hotel plan gets tentative OK
A real estate developer's request to remove a parking garage from plans for a new hotel in Des Plaines has tentatively cleared the city council.
Aldermen on Tuesday voted 7-1 to allow the Mariner Higgins Centre company to eliminate the proposed 34,658-square-foot garage from its plans for the 1700 block of Higgins Road.
A five-story Homes2 Suites by Hilton operation with 107 guest rooms has been proposed for the vacant land, which is part of the development that's home to the 1700 Higgins Centre office building. The six-story office building would remain.
Mariner Higgins Centre owns the nearly 6-acre property and has planned to sell about an acre on the southeast side to Itasca-based NexGen Hotels for the hotel.
The city council approved the hotel and garage plans in 2021, but nothing has been built yet.
The garage no longer is financially viable, Mariner Higgins Centre representatives have said.
The developers also believe less parking than originally proposed is needed because of changes to commuting habits during the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.
Eliminating the garage will reduce the total number of parking spaces in the complex from 401 to 308, said John Carlisle, the city's community and economic development director. City code requires 651 spots for the two businesses, so council permission is needed to come in below that mark.
But officials signed off on the plan after noting the shortcoming would only affect hotel and office building workers and customers, not the general public.
Fifth Ward Alderman Carla Brookman said she is concerned about the reduction in parking spaces but also noted she wants the project to move forward.
Second Ward Alderman Colt Moylan cast the lone "no" vote Tuesday night.
A final vote could come as soon as the council's next meeting on Jan. 17.