How the proposed developer of a village-owned parcel at 7620 W. Madison St. was selected is a topic of concern among some village residents. And the developer’s link to an eviction fight years back at Lake and Lathrop for a small business he owned has led those same critics to raise doubts about the village’s vetting process.
Over the last year the village considered seven development proposals for the site. It was a process that started when JLL, the village’s real estate consultant, sent a request for proposals to nearly 12,000 developers in its database. JLL also did direct outreach to some developers. Twelve firms ultimately signed non-disclosure agreements to move forward in the process, with seven submitting proposals.
The village selected two finalists before the village board ultimately chose Chicago-based Five Thirty-one Partners, to move forward in its process. That firm submitted a plan for a five-story mixed-use building. The development would feature 72 high-end apartments and first-floor retail space, along with 87 parking spaces.
But what the other six development proposals entailed, including that of the other finalist firm, are unclear as the village said it signed confidentiality agreements with those firms. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from a resident requesting that information was denied on the basis of the confidentiality pacts, said the village.
“I would like to know what the other bids were and why they weren’t chosen,” said resident Greg Abacarian, who said he is “100% against” the chosen proposal. “I don’t know the logic. We’re your constituents. You’re here for us.
“I just want to know why. And nobody can tell you. Or nobody wants to.”
In an earlier interview with Wednesday Journal, Village President Cathy Adduci said the other proposals received were all for mixed use projects and varied somewhat in height and density.
Jessica Spencer, assistant village administrator, said Monday that she could not provide the names of the other developers nor the project types they proposed.
“There is confidentiality that has been promised to those developers until the end of this process,” Spencer said.
Among resident concerns is that Five Thirty-one Partners is co-owned by Viktor Jakovljevic, a River Forest resident who owned Cigar Oasis at 7619 Lake St. That business was forced to move from its longtime home after Lake and Lathrop LLC closed on the property in October 2017 and planned to raze the block and build a five-story, mixed-use development.
Cigar Oasis fought eviction efforts before ultimately moving to Oak Park. Jakovljevic did not respond to a request for comment for this story. He is scheduled to appear before the village board March 23 to discuss the project, based on questions that came up at the previous board meeting March 9.
“With regard to Lake and Lathrop and the redevelopment, there was obviously some concern with all of the tenants that were trying to vacate that place, and the village was interested in moving forward with the development,” Spencer said. “The village’s interaction at that point was limited because this was a private matter between the property owner and the landlord.”
Spencer said village staff who vetted the proposals were aware of Jakovljevic’s history with Cigar Oasis and the Lake and Lathrop eviction process. She said the village board was briefed on that matter and that staff felt it “has no bearing” on this development effort.
“There were a lot of conversations regarding the background of the two finalists that were discussed with the whole board,” she said.
But Megan Keskitalo, a village trustee, said Monday that “I had not been as aware as some of the other trustees were at Lake and Lathrop. I wasn’t aware something had occurred.”
At the March 9 village board meeting, trustee Erika Bachner indicated she was bothered to learn of Jakovljevic’s involvement with Cigar Oasis and the related issues at Lake and Lathrop. Another trustee, Katie Brennan, said she didn’t want to learn things about the development from residents. Bachner did not respond to a request for comment for this story; Brennan referred a reporter to her March 9 meeting remarks.
“I don’t know what to say regarding the personal memories of certain trustees,” Spencer said.
At that same meeting Adduci said the developer would be asked to attend a village board meeting to answer questions from trustees.
In a February interview with Wednesday Journal, Adduci said, “I didn’t know Viktor.”
Spencer said Monday she believed Adduci was speaking to a personal knowledge of or a relationship with Jakovljevic. Adduci did not respond to a clarification request for this story.
“There are no personal ties with Viktor with any of the trustees,” Spencer said.
Abcarian said the vetting process requires explanation.
“How are we so far into this process and we didn’t know about any of this?” he said. “If you’re on a board, just do a Google search. I did a Google search and saw this stuff weeks ago. What criteria was used to whittle down all the various developers coming forward?”
Former village trustee Patty Henek, who spoke at the March 9 board meeting – four days after a resident meeting regarding the development – has similar concerns.
“There are so many red flags to me with this developer,” she said.