Luxury apartment plans advance in downtown Elmhurst

Elmhurst City Council members voted 9-3 Monday to approve an agreement with Lennar LMC, the developer of a 212-unit luxury apartment complex planned for 183-191 N. Addison Ave. in the heart of downtown.

The plan requires Lennar to make design changes in accordance with the city's downtown design recommendations, including wrapping the building's two towers in brick facade on the Addison Avenue side.

In return, the city will waive the 1% permit fee, which is estimated to equal the $500,000 cost for wrapping one of the towers in brick. Lennar will cover the cost for wrapping the other tower.

The city also agreed to steps it routinely undertakes for large developments, such as relocating utilities.

Alderman Michael Honquest, who chairs the council's development, planning and zoning committee, stressed that Lennar still will pay school and park contributions, as well as any direct cost to the city for things such as water meters and tap fees.

The committee estimates the complex will generate an extra $750,000 in annual property taxes, as well as create sales tax benefits by bringing another 300 to 350 residents to the downtown core.

Some aldermen voiced concerns about waiving the permit fee for a plan that does not adhere to all of the design guidelines in the city's 2016 Downtown Plan. Aldermen Marti Deuter, Michael Bram and Dannee Polomsky voted against the resolution. (Aldermen Kevin York and Jim Kennedy were absent.)

Deuter said the amount of city assistance is "not unreasonable," but she is concerned the city is introducing uncertainty about whether developers really need to follow the guidelines.

"I believe strongly that design matters," she said.

Polomsky said she views the fee waiver as part of an investment in streetscape, but she doesn't think the city is demonstrating that the design guidelines it laid out for downtown are important.

Alderman Bob Dunn spoke in favor of the agreement. He voted against previous zoning and conditional use variances for the building but said he views the design changes as a "significant showing to meet a lot of our design guidelines."

He said that while some of the plan's guidelines, such as brick cornices, are not being met, the larger ones - such as an exterior with brick and masonry - have been addressed.

Alderman Noel Talluto noted that the U-shaped design of the building will reduce the impact of its bulk in the view from the street, making it appear as two separate buildings.

"This is a good project for the city," Talluto said.

She said the equalized assessed valuation of the large-scale project will help keep property taxes lower for everyone else.

The Marke of Elmhurst, developed by The Opus Group, shadowed the discussion. The building's design and choice of materials have been a point of contention for many residents, Honquest said after the meeting.

But Honquest contrasted The Marke's modern, cement-heavy design with the style of the Lennar LMC Project. He believes the new apartment building will uphold the spirit and style of the guidelines presented in the downtown plan, even if it does not fulfill every recommendation to the letter.

Lennar LMC estimates hard costs for construction of the building will be around $51 million, with a project total of around $70 million.