THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2006
Concerns Linger Over Plaza Plan
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Reporter
Someday, in a perfect world, a developer in Park Ridge will propose a new project that will conform completely to the city's zoning code, and will be happily embraced by all residents and officials.
Until then, however, developers will continue to joust with the city regarding building height, density, building size, setbacks, parking, fences, landscaping, lights, etc. etc. And after a few months of meetings and lots of debate, the project will usually be approved, with a number of compromises between builders and city officials.
Monday night (Nov. 27), however, a Park Ridge developer came pretty close to an acceptable plan. But after a 90-minute public hearing in city hall, the project, like so many others before it, was continued until January because of some "concerns" of residents and members of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Neri Architects ands Builders presented the second plan for development of a section of Executive Plaza, the 16-acre piece of land on the eastern edge of Uptown, between Touhy Avenue and Northwest Highway, at Washington Street.
Neri officials went to some effort to conform their townhome plan to what the city says it wants in the plaza, which now contains several vacant and dated office buildings.
The Neri project includes 26 luxury two and three-story townhomes on the southeast corner of the plaza, whose address is 315 S. Northwest Highway, across from St. Paul of the Cross Church. Townhomes were specified for this part of the plaza by the master plan approved by the city council earlier this year.
The units would have English basements, would average 2,500-3,000 square feet in size, and sell for an average price of $685,000, according to Neri officials.
The project would be located immediately west of, and about 100 feet from the back yards of single family homes on Berry Parkway. To the west would be an office building occupied by George S. May Co.
On many zoning standards, the project conforms to city standards. It proposes to use less lot area per dwelling than the city's maximum, range from 33 to 39 feet in building height (with an average of about 33) compared to the city's limit of 40, have about 6,000 more square feet of open space than the city's minimum, and have seven more parking spaces than the city requires.
But there are some "concerns," as commission members and residents expressed it, rather than outright objections. The hearing drew about 15 persons, several of whom spoke.
* Neri is requesting 26 units instead of the limit of 25 in the city's zoning code. When asked why, a Neri spokesman said, "We are asking for something back in exchange for providing additional open space and less lot usage than allowed."
* There are no guest parking spaces, and several commissioners said they are needed. Some residents agreed.
* A property tax impact study has not been done, primarily because the project is not in a tax increment financing (TIF) area. Some commissioners expressed a need for one.
* Some residents asked why the buildings have to be 30-plus feet high, higher than the Berry Parkway homes.
* A proposed fence along Northwest Highway, intended to be an architectural "gateway" to the south end of the project, was questioned by some commissioners, who said it requires a variance because it isn't allowed for similar projects. At least one resident said she liked the idea, however.
* When a Neri spokesman said storm water detention would be handled in generally the same way it is now by the office buildings, some commissioners said this may not be acceptable.
Commissioner Anita Rifkind said open space may have to be sacrificed for guest parking, but she also said she likes the idea of the fence along Northwest Highway.
The next hearing date is Jan. 8 on this project.
This is the second proposal that the city has received for Executive Plaza. A few weeks ago, Norwood Builders submitted a proposal for the northwest section, which includes condos and retail facilities.