A proposal to build condominiums in downtown Lake Bluff was met with little public enthusiasm during a second meeting with the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals, however the developer said he still plans to take the project through the entire approval process.
Roanoke Group has proposed building 16 condominium units in two, three-story buildings on Block 3. The site is bordered by Oak, Evanston, North and Scranton avenues.
The proposal calls for interior parking and two units each on the ground level, four units each on the second level and two larger penthouses each on the third level. The penthouses would be set back, making less of them visible from a street level view. The .76 acre site was formerly occupied by PNC Bank.
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Of the seven residents who spoke at the July 20 meeting, six criticized the proposal on the basis of height and questioned whether it would fit in with the surrounding neighborhood. Residents also voiced concerns that the condominiums would be priced too high to sell.
Resident Peter McGuire suggested single family homes be built instead.
“If you put three homes there that are affordable, you’d build a harmonious Block 3,” McGuire said.
In contrast, resident Charles Porter liked the proposed condominiums.
“I think we need an additional mix of (housing),” Potter said. “People want to move to Lake Bluff but there isn’t that (housing).”
Plan Commission member Mary Collins asked why the buildings have to be three stories high.
“For us to make it work (financially), we have to build 16 units with space for two cars each,” replied Peter Kyte, principal at the Roanoke Group. “It’s very expensive to build a quality building.”
Kyte said they’ll make changes to the architecture, adjust the setbacks, conduct a tree survey and discuss other modifications. They plan to present their modified plans at the August 17 meeting of the commission.
He warned, however, that the plans “won’t be dramatically different.”
The Roanoke Group plans to present its proposal to the village Architectural Board of Review in October and to the Village Board sometime in the fall.