La Grange village trustees voted unanimously Monday night to approve a 23-unit condominium building on the site of a former funeral home near downtown despite some residents’ concerns about zoning.
“Whether you’re for this proposal or against it, you can relax because our zoning code is fine and the process is working perfectly,” said Trustee David McCarty. “What we’re (seeing) tonight is a village effectively using a strong ordinance to improve projects and optimize value for the community.”
At the village board meeting, trustees approved a zoning map amendment, special-use permit, as well as concept and site plans for the five-story residential building at 40 S. Ashland Ave. Prior to the zoning amendment to reclassify the property as residential, the site had been located in a commercial zoning district adjacent to a residential one.
Proponents of the project said that the development will help increase foot traffic in the downtown area and meet the need of residents looking to downsize. Prior to the village board’s approval of the building, several people had already reserved a unit.
“We want (the downtown) to be a walk for us again. We need to have more of that in La Grange,” said Chris Lyons, who currently lives in La Grange Park but said he was hoping to move back to the village where he and his family lived for 25 years. “This is a terrific project and I think it offers a lot of benefits.”
The 54-foot brick and stone building features units of 1,250 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet with one floor of parking for residents and guests, according to village documents. Under the zoning code, buildings in that residential district can be a maximum of three stories or 45 feet tall.
Due to the zoning modifications allowed for the project, the developer has agreed to contribute $86,000 to neighborhood sewer infrastructure improvements and reconstruct the existing sidewalks along the perimeter of the property on Ashland and Harris avenues, according to the documents.
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Some neighbors who live adjacent to the property said they were happy to see development on the site, which has been vacant since the Hallowell & James Funeral home was demolished in 2006, but that the project was too big.
“If it’s going to be high quality that’s great. I just want it to be the size that it’s supposed to be,” said Kris Fedoruk, of 200 block of West Harris Ave. “It’s just too big of a footprint for the property.”
La Grange resident Phillip Bernard added that allowing the zoning modifications would set a “slippery slope precedent” for future development.
“To say that people buy these units does not constitute a community need … there’s a lot of properties available,” Bernard said. “The board needs to address the entire community’s needs and have to have the guts to stand behind them.”