Location, not concept, leads to rejection of Brick & Mortar plan in downtown Libertyville
A proposal to convert a prominent vacant building in downtown Libertyville into flexible, shared work space has been rejected by village officials, who say they love the concept but not the location.
Village trustees Tuesday unanimously denied the plan citing rules enacted years ago to revitalize downtown.
Entrepreneurs Andrew Nast and Adam Clabaugh were seeking variations to create their fifth suburban Brick & Mortar business at 416 N. Milwaukee Ave., a prime location across from Cook Park.
New office and financial institutions are prohibited in the front 35 feet of buildings fronting Milwaukee Avenue or occupying more than 25% of the footprint of a building.
That presented a dilemma for trustees, who said they favored the concept and would like it in town. But they feared making an exception that could begin to reverse progress that has transformed downtown Libertyville into a pedestrian-friendly retail, dining and entertainment center.
“The concept is great,” said Trustee Scott Adams, who was involved decades ago in initial efforts to remake the deteriorating area. “I just don't think it fits what we want on the main street of downtown Libertyville.”
Others agreed.
“I'd love you guys to come into town,” said Trustee Pete Garrity. “It would be fantastic. I'm just challenged with the location.”
While acknowledging the years of effort, Mayor Donna Johnson cautioned that times have changed and the village needs to be open to new ideas of what uses should be allowed.
“We cannot just rest on the laurels of what we built,” she said. “Determining what (can) be a fit needs to be redefined.”
Built as A&P Grocery store, the single-story building was occupied for 55 years by Arden's Fine Furniture and Design until 2015 and then renovated for an Indian Motorcycle dealership. It has been vacant for two years.
Nast told trustees he and Clabaugh planned to invest millions to create a coworking environment for professionals, entrepreneurs and businesses. Because of a shift to remote working, there is demand among white-collar professionals for a place to work other than home, village officials were told.
“Brick & Mortar is a lifestyle amenity,” Nast said in his pitch. Since opening its first location in downtown Park Ridge, the business has expanded to Glen Ellyn, Deerfield and LaGrange.
In fact, the Park Ridge location has become so successful that it has a waiting list and stopped marketing six months ago, Nast added, and the partners were seeking a larger space to expand.
But the proposal could not surmount the requirements and trustees agreed with the recommendation of the advisory zoning board of appeals, which denied the plan in February.
“The design is absolutely stunning, the technology is stunning (and) this would work exceptionally well” in Libertyville, said Trustee Jim Connell.
“But it's a slippery slope when we open the door to this. It pains me.”
Johnson said the building and another large space downtown have been vacant for some time.
“We need to be broader thinking,” she said. “The definition of retail is changing. We're going to have to figure ways to plug those gaps.”
Village officials said they are willing to work with the partners to find an alternate location off Milwaukee Avenue.