Developers are proposing to transform a former Deerfield office building into a 112-unit apartment complex, along with a new on-property day care for about 200 children, part of a broader trend of repurposing commercial spaces for housing.
The proposal will go before the Village Board for final review on Monday, according to village staff.
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Sitting in the business district in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Lake Cook Road and the Milwaukee District North Metra train line, 155 Pfingsten Road is an L-shaped, three-story office building constructed in 1987, according to village documents. It has nearly 120,000 square feet in total floor space, with about 40,000 square feet per floor.
The proposal would split the 7.5-acre property upon which the building sits into two lots, with one for the apartment building and the other for a new 13,600-square-foot day care center and nursery school with over 12,000 square feet of outdoor play area.
If approved as proposed, the building would consist almost entirely of two-bedroom units, with a handful of one- and three-bedroom units, and 11 “affordable units.” Green space would be about 107,000 square feet, primarily surrounding the apartment building and property.
The day care center and nursery school would be operated by Primrose Schools and serve up to 195 children, with a staff of approximately 30.
Sybil Derrible, professor of urban engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago, generally praised the development, putting it within a broader trend of repurposing commercial spaces for residential use.
With an oversupply of commercial spaces, such as old malls or office buildings, communities are faced with the question of what to do with them now that demand has shifted. As the country faces a “massive” housing shortage, these buildings can create opportunities, he said.
Instead of demolishing a building or moving even farther out, such developments turn unused buildings into needed apartments.
“It’s a market-driven business,” Derrible said. “If people are willing to live there and pay for it, then that’s fine.”
Although the property sits about a half-mile from the Lake Cook Metra station, and village Plan Commission documents from the Nov. 13 meeting include information packets about reducing or eliminating parking requirements to create more pedestrian-friendly environments. The proposal includes 255 parking spaces for the apartment building — which is about 30 more than required — and 51 parking spaces for the day care.
The focus on cars left Emily Talen, professor of urbanism at the University of Chicago, disappointed. Residents will remain car-dependent, she said. While the site will include the day care, the other important factors of daily life, like a grocery store, are not within easy walking distance.
“Where is the walkability?” Talen said. “It’s a car-dependent place.”
The office-to-apartments transformation is “terrific,” she said, and something that’s becoming more common, but location is critical to build sustainable cities. The new apartments will put people “in the middle of sprawl-ville.”
“They’re going to have to drive everywhere,” Talen said. “Is that really the way to go with human settlement?”
Her ideal development would see a greater focus on the nearby Metra station or other public transit, and take a fuller look at creating a “complete neighborhood,” bringing the necessities of daily life closer.
Although the apartment will be bordered by existing neighborhoods and a park to its north and west across Pfingsten Road, since it’s originally part of the business district, its nearest neighbors are other office buildings and a storage business.
Mirroring some of Talen’s sentiments, Derrible encouraged communities to look at the broader picture with such developments. There needs to be accessibility and community vibrancy to replace the traditional suburban vision of the single-family home with a backyard and garage, almost creating a “mini urban area.”
“Consider not only the inside of the building, but also what’s outside,” Derrible said.
Although the Lake Cook Road Metra station is nearby, the development doesn’t give the focus on public transit that Talen said she would want. Derrible noted the walk time to the station, about a half-mile and just 11 minutes, could prove restrictive, even if the distance wasn’t necessarily that far.
“There’s actual time, and there’s perceived time,” Derrible said. “Eleven minutes in the Chicago Loop is absolutely fine. Eleven minutes in a suburb, where there’s a lot of wind and cars zooming by you, it’s pretty horrible.”