Despite being up in Michigan with my grandsons while they were in day-camp, I took the opportunity to watch the video of the Oak Park Zoning Board of Appeals Aug. 6 public hearing on a petitioner’s request for a special use permit to build an EV Charging Station on the longtime vacant lot at 6104 Roosevelt Road. The parking lot will include five charging stations with perimeter fencing and landscaping, including shrubbery — think Monty Python. Imagine my surprise to learn that the plan is for a temporary EV Charging Station parking lot.
The petitioner noted his plan is to sell the lot to The Community Builders which has its own plans to build a mixed-use building with ground floor commercial use and the upper floors, having as many as 22 affordable apartments. The petitioner purchased the lot from the Cook County Land Bank in 2022 for $115,000, and his sale price to The Community Builders is $450,000.
He intimated that The Community Builders is supportive of his planned EV Charging Station because the infrastructure could then be adapted for use in the new mixed-use affordable housing development. This would seem to belie the fact that the entire lot would have to be excavated for the foundation and construction of the new building.
The Community Builders would also incur additional demolition expenses for the initial costs of the new affordable housing development. Of course the ZBA commissioners unanimously endorsed the plan, now to be forwarded for approval of the special-use permit by the village board.
Earlier this year the board approved the recommendation of the village’s Housing Program Advisory Commission to allocate $700,000 of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to The Community Builders for their mixed-use affordable housing development at 6104 Roosevelt Road. If the village board accepts the ZBA’s recommendation for the special-use permit, then a large portion of that trust fund allocation would go to the purchase of a temporary EV Charging Station.
The village board should deny the ZBA recommendation in order to advance The Community Builders’ redevelopment plan and meet the goal to build more affordable housing in Oak Park.
The village, the Land Bank, the Housing Programs Advisory Committee, Community Builders/Interfaith Housing, and WJ may want to focus on 7100 Roosevelt (former Ino’s) as another opportunity for redevelopment on Roosevelt Road, including affordable housing. Affordable housing there could truly be “transit oriented” with two bus lines within a block and the Blue Line Harlem stop less than a half-mile away.
Chris Donovan
Oak Park