Tinley Park trustees approved plans Tuesday for apartments and town houses in the downtown area adjacent to the planned Harmony Square plaza, although nearby residents are not entirely happy with their new neighbors.
West Point Builders plans a five-story, mixed-use building with 63 apartments above commercial space on North Street, east of Oak Park Avenue and to the east of the planned Harmony Square outdoor space, which is anticipated to host music and other events.
To the north, West Point plans 60 town houses on the former site of Central Middle School.
Originally, 63 town houses, each three stories, were proposed, but West Point scaled that back and removed some buildings in order to free up more space to address parking concerns raised by area residents.
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The project is to be constructed in one phase, although work is expected to start first on the town houses.
Parking for the town houses was boosted to 240 spaces from the planned 120 slots. Mayor Michael Glotz said he believed that would be sufficient to allay residents’ concerns.
“He listened,” Glotz said, referring to developer Pat Curran, West Point’s president. “He couldn’t have worked any more than he did.”
Some residents said the density of the projects will disrupt a neighborhood that is primarily single-family homes.
Glotz said small businesses in the downtown along Oak Park Avenue will benefit by having a greater density of residents clustered within walking distance of their doors.
“They need a walkable downtown,” the mayor said. “These businesses need it to survive.”
Lisa Latronico, who lives near the site, said the three-story town houses don’t fit in with the rest of the neighborhood and suggested the Central Middle School property instead be redeveloped for single-family homes.
She said the town houses are “not conducive to the rest of the area,” and that “It would make such a nicer looking community” if single-family detached homes were built on the property.
Bordered by 172nd and 173rd streets on the north and south, and 67th Avenue and 67th Court on the east and west, Tinley Park bought the 3.3-acre property from Tinley Park Elementary District 146 in 2005, and the village has long eyed residential development there.
The plaza itself is just under 2 acres, but the overall development including the town houses and apartments is 6 acres, according to the village.
Glotz said the Central Middle School site could accommodate perhaps a dozen homes, and “nobody is willing to spend that kind of money to build 12 homes.”
According to plans, the town houses will be three-story buildings with two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet.
The apartments would include a mix of studio units along with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
There would be two rooftop terraces on the second floor of the apartment building, an exercise room, lounge and club room, and the apartments “will be high-end luxury units” each with their own laundry facilities, according to plans.
Running through the property dividing Harmony Square and the apartments would be an extension of 67th Court, where additional parking would be set aside, according to plans.
North Point has built residential development in Tinley Park, such as the West Point Meadows town houses east of Oak Park Avenue and north of Interstate 80, as well as projects in Naperville, Plainfield and Skokie.
Trustee Michael Mueller said the addition of the apartments and town houses provide a good mix of housing options.
“These are all going to be very, very successful products,” Mueller said.