Larkin High School’s plan to build a new 2,500-seat sports stadium moves to the Elgin City Council with a recommendation for approval from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
School District U-46 is seeking authorization to construct not just a new arena at 1475 Larkin Ave. but a 7,600-square-foot building to house concessions, locker rooms and restrooms. The venue would have a synthetic field and bleacher seating as well as a 1,500-square-foot covered, outdoor pavilion, two ticket booths, and a scoreboard.
Larkin High School, built in 1960, is the only high school in the district without a stadium, Jolene Linneman, U-46 construction project coordinator, told planning and zoning commissioners at the Monday meeting.
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“It is well deserved for these students,” Linneman said. “It’s so exciting.”
Larkin’s Royals teams currently play at Elgin High School, she said. Elgin High’s stadium has never been branded because both schools use it, she said.
By creating a stadium for Larkin, it would be an opportunity to build up more school spirit at each school, she said.
Larkin sits on a 42.6-acre parcel that fronts Larkin Avenue, South McLean Boulevard and Erie Street. The stadium is proposed for the northern side of the site, which has a frontage area, considered a street yard, along Erie.
Buildings aren’t typically allowed on a street yard under the city’s codes, Elgin senior planner Damir Latinovic said.
For that reason, the district needs code variance approval from the city for the buildings, scoreboard and some fencing that would be added to the school grounds, he said.
The scoreboard variance is required because the school is limited to having two freestanding signs, which they currently have, Latinovic said. The scoreboard would be 20 feet high with a surface area of 362 square feet. Its backside would feature the school’s logo but won’t be lit, and landscaping will help it blend into the neighborhood, he said.
City staff has recommended approval for the project, finding it an appropriate use of the property.
Parking and traffic is a concern, Commissioner Karin Jones said. As a parent of a former Larkin student, drop-off and pick-up times were challenging and a lot cars parked in the surrounding neighborhood, she said.
“I feel like there is not a good handle on daytime parking, and at nighttime, I feel it would be worse,” Jones said.
A traffic study done by a U-46 consulting firm found that parking demand for varsity football games, which draw an estimated 1,000 people, would require about 400 parking spaces, Latinovic said. The school has 540 parking spaces on site, he said.
High schools typically have between five and seven home games per season, Latinovic said. If the stadium is at capacity, the district would direct people to nearby elementary school parking lots and provide a bus shuttle to the venue, he said.
Peak stadium traffic time would be between 6 and 7 p.m. on Friday football game nights. Traffic is usually not busy at that time, the study found. The number of vehicles would be about the same as during the school hours, Latinovic said.
Jones cast the only no vote on recommending Larkin’s plans. The issue will go to the council for review in a few weeks.
Monday’s meeting was the first led by Jordan Wildermuth, the newly appointed chairman succeeding Jay Cox, who left after 17 years. Three new members also have been appointed: Erik Bosque, Samuel Olson and Debra Vruble.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.