At a public hearing Aug. 28 to consider the application of Sachem Building, LLC to construct a 10-story apartment building off the alley behind the historic Village Arcade building at 1035 South Blvd., the Historic Preservation Commission voted for the fourth time to deny the certificate of appropriateness for the project.
At the hearing, speakers opposed to the project included concerned neighbors; Frank Lippo, executive director of the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest; Andrew Elders, former preservation commissioner; and Kendra Parzen, advocacy manager from Landmarks Illinois. Thrive Counseling Center, which is adjacent to the proposed project, also submitted a written objection.
The owners of the building plan to appeal directly to the Oak Park Village Board to be granted the green light to go ahead with the development.
According to Michael Bruce, Oak Park’s village planer, the village board could consider the appeal as early as this month. He said the public will need to check village board agendas to determine when the issue is being considered.
Bruce wrote in an email, “The village board will not hold a public hearing on the issue as the public hearing was already held by the HPC. Thus, no further studies or input is required for the village board to make a decision.”