Oak Park’s Village Board of Trustees granted an extension for the completion of the planned development at 715-717 South Boulevard until May 31, 2024.
This is the sixth extension to finish construction of the multi-unit residential building.
The construction project was originally approved on March 6, 2017. The fifth extension was set to end Nov. 30. The zoning ordinance allows the village board to approve an extension if the applicant can provide sufficient cause. The developer, Art Gurevich, indicated additional time was necessary to complete interior design based on buyer preference.
Gurevich was required to pay a $2,000 fee to offset the cost of his last extension request, which was paid Nov. 14. If he does not meet his new deadline, the fee will double.
Trustee Lucia Robinson, the only dissent to the decision, said she feels the fee is too low for the village to be properly compensated for the continued delays. She said she would like to discuss a more persuasive fee structure in the future that encourages quick project completions.
If the village board denied the request for an extension, the planned development ordinance would be null and void and the units could not be occupied, village attorney Paul Stephanides said.
Cameron Davis, assistant director of development customer services, said two units in the building have already been granted temporary occupancy. Gurevich is also showing other units to potential residents, Davis said at last week’s meeting, in addition to customizing units to the buyers’ preferences.
“I can’t stand before you tonight and say, since I have very little control over it, that he [the developer] won’t be back again,” Davis said.
The development has 14 total residential units in addition to a commercial unit and approximately 20 parking spaces. The 12 unfinished units are close to completion, Davis said, but did not have specifics. The building is essentially finished, and all interior work is strictly cosmetic, according to an email exchange between village planner Craig Failor and developer Art Gurevich.
“I’m not inclined to want to punish him [Gurevich],” Trustee Cory Wesley said. “Especially in a market like this.”
Robinson said she does not see her push for increased fees as a punishment but rather a result of the developer’s own choices. Gurevich has every right to decide his selling model and customize units, she said, but his delays resulting in higher market value are the result of his own choices.
“I take issue a little bit with the idea that we should be saving every developer from the natural result of what their choices are,” Robinson said. “Maybe if we didn’t do that, they’d make better choices.”
President Vicki Scaman agreed it would be helpful to plan a future discussion on how to incentivize developers to complete projects in a timely manner, but no decisions related to incentives were made at the time.
Correction Nov. 27, 2023, 10:05 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the correct name of the project’s developer. It is Art Gurevich. We regret the error.