A proposed residential redevelopment of the former Highland Park Solo Cup factory has taken its first steps forward after sparking lengthy debates before the City Council, both in recent months and during a special meeting last week.
Although all council members voted to approve the preliminary development plan, plat of subdivision and zoning map amendment for 1660-1700 Old Deerfield Road, the unanimous vote marked the end to a meeting that went late into the night, with city leaders debating everything from landscaping to broader questions about the future of the city.
The project has stirred controversy in the community, with area residents packing previous Plan Commission meetings to voice their concerns, primarily about the development’s density and related traffic issues. Residents have also expressed concerns about the number of rental versus owner-occupied units.
Since its original proposal, the development has been reduced and reorganized several times. It now has 227 units split between 48 buildings, with nearly 13 acres of open space.
Developers and various city officials have noted how the plot of land, which over a decade and a half ago was a Solo Cup factory, sits in an awkward spot, with businesses to its north, train tracks to its east, and a band of wetland and trees along the west and south that the city wants preserved.
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Mayor Nancy Rotering noted the city has considered a wide variety of options for the site since 2009, including a community college, Costco, museum, black box theater, hydroponic farm, truck depot and even senior housing. The current proposal is a “wonderful option,” she said, although she noted the city will keep an eye on concerns related to traffic and stormwater management.
In response to concerns about traffic, the developer will do an updated traffic study when the project reaches about 90% occupancy, or sooner if the city determines it necessary.
But some residents who spoke during Thursday’s meeting expressed their distrust of the developer and the real-world impact on traffic of the new units they believe will not be addressed in the study.
The project’s density was even a point of concern for council members, but most noted the city’s need for more housing and the benefits more residents would bring to local businesses.
“Cities that don’t grow, wither,” Andres Tapia warned.
Previous Plan Commission meetings had to be held at a special location to accommodate crowds, and extensive public comments meant numerous late nights. Thursday’s City Council meeting was not nearly as crowded, although the concerns that have been raised throughout the process were repeated by council members.
Rezoning
One primary point of discussion was about rezoning. The developers had requested rezoning of the property to RM1 and R7, both residential designations. In previous meetings, residents had called for the property to only be rezoned as R7, which they believed would cap the number of units below the current 227.
While council member Annette Lidawer pushed for at least considering such a move, her motive was not to reduce the project’s current density. Instead, she argued rezoning the property to only R7, with variances to allow the developer to move forward as currently planned, would protect the property from future changes that would increase its density.
But council member Anthony Blumberg and Rotering argued such a change would needlessly extend the process while adding little actual protection, since future councils could simply rezone the property. Any increases in density on the property would require going through the City Council anyway, they argued.
Blumberg also worried about what message such a move would send to other developers, who might view Highland Park as a difficult city with which to work. His concerns were rebuffed by council member Yumi Ross, who pointed to the number of developers “beating the door down” to work in Highland Park.
Despite some support by other council members, Lidawer’s proposed amendments to look into a complete R7 zoning and increase landscaping requirements failed to move forward, and the items were approved as presented.