To the editor,
The Lake Forest Plan Commission approved the Focus Development plan for Laurel and Western avenues and sent their recommendation to the City Council. Lake Foresters are not against development of the property, but they are opposed to the Focus plan.
The 164 planned housing units should be cut back by one third. Also, the buildings are too tall. When the land is graded, the building at Laurel and Western will tower over the intersection like a fortress. Why don’t height restrictions apply the same way they do for other properties?
The buildings also are out of character for Lake Forest. They don’t improve the neighborhood or fit into it. Will anyone be proud to show them to their visitors?
Parking and traffic for the project will certainly disrupt the area. Parking is sometimes scarce now and will become more so.
The old swamp white oak tree is to be the responsibility of the owners of the single family units. When they consider buying, they will learn that they will be responsible for the tree – which is hundreds of years old – and if they aren’t giving it proper care, the city will step in and charge them for the care. As it can be injured during construction and may be near the end of its life span, the city should keep the tree and the land that surrounds it. If it survives, it will be due to their stewardship.
We don’t need 164 housing units and I think we will be stuck with empty units. The final result will be a negative impact on housing values in the neighborhood and I believe that allowing construction that decreases surrounding property values is a violation of Lake Forest’s code.
Who benefits? Certainly not the homeowners of Lake Forest.
Spencer B. Isola
Lake Forest, IL