A few weeks ago, one of my neighbors, who happened to have been away over the weekend, asked on Sunday night across the backyard fence, “What do we need to do to become a Blue Ribbon family?” When he left Friday, July 14, the blue ribbons adorning the streets on Franklin had already bracketed the lot at 620 Franklin, the subject of the zoning board appeal. By the weekend my neighbor got home, the blue ribbons which first appeared on Franklin had spread to Park, Forest and Ashland, in front of some 50 homes.
In the weeks since, I have watched the blue-ribbon phenomenon spread in little pockets all over the village, and wondered what has finally prompted all these residents-otherwise so reluctant to publicly display their support for candidates or causes besides the local schools and youth sports-to make such a big deal about this latest teardown attempt. The plans for 620 Franklin, directly east of my residence for the past 20 years, were not the first teardown in the village, or even the 20th.
We are now confronted with a goodly number of, in many cases, remarkably unattractive McMansions shoehorned into the standard 50 foot lots to the fullest extent possible under the setback and density provisions of the zoning code. In all these prior instances, however, these incongruent homes have sprung up with little or no advance notice under circumstances where local residents can do little more than shake their heads or wring their hands. It’s too late to complain after the foundation is poured and the building permit is approved.
The response to the Franklin redevelopment is different because it is the first time in recent memory where there has been a public venue for residents to express their concerns and displeasure over the growing threat presented by the increase in teardowns, or the major renovation of the existing homes to create residences that seem out of place and out of touch with the neighboring housing stock.
The zoning board’s decision after the Aug. 10 meeting will likely not end the debate, or even the dispute, since whichever party loses is likely to see direct review of the board’s decision in the Circuit Court. If nothing else, the issues presented now and in the future have finally been crystallized.
After Thursday, the bigger questions remain-to be decided at the zoning board, by the village trustees and ultimately at the ballot box. Unchecked, the current trend of replacing reasonably-priced homes with large, $1 million-plus homes that fewer and fewer families can afford, has the distinct potential to unravel the fabric of a community that has always prided itself as being impervious to change.
Will these new homes, better suited perhaps for Burr Ridge, Bannockburn or some of the more remote exurbs, alter the character of a community that is now an attractive destination for those families looking for a small town feeling close to downtown? Let’s not forget, even Hinsdale has now put a moratorium on teardowns. Too little, too late, a lot of the long-time residents out there would say.
Most zoning decisions are all about density. This time, it’s more about destiny. Will the good things that have happened in the village over the last two or three decades be gone in a few short years? We Blue Ribbon families may not have all the answers, but at least we know the right questions to be asking.
Pat Deady is an attorney and longtime River Forest resident who will write a monthly column on River Forest matters.
Franklin neighbors aren’t telling whole story (Patrick Roche, Viewpoints, One View, Aug. 9)
Ribbon ban stifles freedom of expression (Warren Garlick, Letters, Aug. 9)
ZBA to discuss 620 Franklin appeal (News, Aug. 9)
Riled up about ribbons (Viewpoints, Our Views, Aug. 9)
