Des Plaines officials cleared the way Monday night for construction on a controversial development proposed for the former Littlefuse site on East Northwest Highway.
Aldermen voted 5-4 for a second time, with Mayor Matt Bogusz again casting the tie-breaking vote, to approve preliminary plans for a development with 24 town homes comprising 127 units and an apartment building with 270 units on the vacant parcel at 800 E. Northwest Highway.
The council also approved for a second and final time a request from the developer, Glenview-based Buckingham Properties to rezone the 21-acre property from manufacturing to residential. Littlefuse, a manufacturer of electric-circuit protection equipment, moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2008.
The city’s aldermen have spent hours debating the merits of the $90 million development and expressed diverging opinions on best use of the site over the course of several meetings.
Eighth Ward Alderman Michael Charewicz, who again voted against the project, said he received a lot of phone calls from residents concerned about potential traffic problems on East Northwest Highway stemming from the new development.
Charewicz suggested the property, rather than serve as the site for a residential development, be a good fit for a Pace suburban bus system.
“Pace (suburban bus system) had every opportunity in all the years this was vacant to step forward and say they were interested, and they did not,” Third Ald. Denise Rodd said.
Rodd cited a letter addressed to the council from Daniel Benassi of Entre Commercial Realty, the real-estate firm representing the owner of the site, Four Peaks, which stated that the vast majority of the interest in the property over the past two and a half years has been for residential rather than commercial or industrial uses.
“If Des Plaines is going to go anywhere, we need to be open to well-researched and well-placed and well-done proposals like this one,” Rodd said, referring to the planned residential development.
Sixth Ward Alderman Malcolm Chester said he too had received calls from residents worried about motorists leaving the development and turning left on East Northwest Highway.
George Sakas, the city’s director of community and economic development, said the “traffic report reflected” drivers would be able to enter and exit the residential development safely.
Fifth Ward Alderman James Brookman, who also voted no for a second time on the project, said he believes traffic accidents will result from the development.
His comments were echoed by First Ward Ald. Patricia Haugeberg, who said pedestrians walking to the Metra station on Miner Street would be at risk of getting hit by a car.
Fourth Ward Alderman Dick Sayad, who voted twice in support of the project, said “you’re going to have traffic coming out of there no matter who you have” on the site.
Along with Bogusz, Rodd, Sayad, Chester and Seventh Ward Alderman Don Smith voted on second reading in favor of the development and zoning change. Second Ward Alderman John Robinson and Haugeberg once again joined Charewicz and Brookman in voting against it. The aldermen previously voted on the project at a meeting earlier this month.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
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