Too Big! Too Dense! Too Expensive! Out of Character!
Wrong Choice for Forest & Lake!
Almost two years ago, the OP Village Trustees agreed with a developer to eviscerate our zoning protections,
to give away a multi-million dollar parcel of downtown real estate,
and to pay for the construction of an overly-expensive parking garage,
in exchange for the promise of a HOTEL at the corner of Lake St. and Forest Ave.
NOW, unable to finance the hotel,
the developer has presented a NEW proposal to build RENTAL APARTMENTS over commercial space and parking.
The new plan requires the same financial commitments from the Village,
along with much greater density of land use and even greater exemptions from parking requirements.
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
The developer claims to have paid $9 million dollars for its adjacent 24,837 square foot parcel, but the Village Board will convey our 45,100 square foot parking garage parcel to the developer for only a dollar.
The Zoning Ordinance limits the developer to 97 residential apartment units on the combined parcels of land (that's a lot!) but the developer wants an allowance to construct 270 APARTMENTS on top of 25,000 square feet of commercial space and a parking garage for 588 cars.
The Zoning Ordinance limits construction to a maximum of EIGHT stories on the developer's parcel and only SIX stories on the Village parcel, but the developer intends to construct a TWENTY-ONE STORY TOWER, by far the tallest in Oak Park, much taller than 100 Forest Place across Lake Street!
The Zoning Ordinance requires a MINIMUM of 373 on-site parking spaces for these residential and commercial uses (a requirement that already exempts the majority of the commercial space), but the developer wants to provide ONLY 288 parking spaces.
The existing 340 space public parking garage will be demolished and the VILLAGE WILL PAY for the construction of 300 supposedly public parking spaces at the exhorbitant cost of $28,800 or more per space. In reality, most of these "public" spaces will be used just for the new building. The village is paying to build parking which the developer must have to succeed!
Parking counts for the current garage showed more than 300 cars parked during peak usage periods. The solution is not to build more parking, (588 spaces is a huge garage!) The building needs to be smaller!
This monolithic mega-tower would be in stark contrast to the surrounding residential neighborhood. The 19th Century Club and residential properties on Ontario will find their backyards up against a 5-story light-blocking pre-cast concrete, brick-panel wall to their South.
The 500+ people who will rent the 270 Apartments will ADD 500+ daily car trips to surrounding streets in addition to the 100s of patrons of the commercial establishments who will add thousands of daily car trips.
The 500+ residents WILL add numerous students to Holmes School, Brooks Middle School and OPRF High School.
The Village Trustees should not subsidize--or even allow--this outrageous abandonment of the Zoning Standards and Protections!
This is development to the extreme: It is far too big for this site!
WHAT CAN WE CITIZENS DO?
Send an email to the OP Village Board members!
(Here's an easy way: .)
Tell them, as an Oak Park Citizen, to not approve the zoning allowances needed for this
too-big, too-dense, out-of-character mega-tower.
Tell them not to waste our money by giving away valuable land.
Tell them to enforce our zoning laws in order to protect our residential quality of life,
and that 97 residential units plus retail and parking is more than enough for this limited parcel!
Tell them that developers need to build enough parking to meet the parking requirements
and to pay for it themselves, as part of doing business.
Tell them that you want quality development on this parcel
that will enhance and not detract from our community and the future of Oak Park!
Attend the Village Board meeting on Monday, January 9th, 2012, 7:30-9:30pm in Village Hall, 123 Madison St., Oak Park, IL. You do not have to say anything--JUST BEING THERE SPEAKS! Bring someone with you. Help us pack the chambers!
Write the Wednesday Journal. Email your thoughts to: ktrainor@wjinc.com. Fax to: 708/524-0047. Include name, address and daytime phone for verification.
Write the Oak Leaves Opinion page at: jclark@pioneerlocal.com, Jennifer Clark, ph: 708/ 524-4412.
Let them know that the Citizens of Oak Park are opposed to this project--it's:
Too Big!...Too Dense!...Too Expensive!...Out of Character!
...and the Wrong Choice for Forest & Lake!
