The River Forest Development Review Board has given its unanimous but conditional approval to a still-controversial plan for a multi-use project at 7620 Madison St. The review board will present its recommendation to the village board within 45 days and the village board has to review and act within 60 days of the recommendation.
The action came following a presentation on July 9 at Trinity High School by Viktor Jakovljevic, co-owner of Five Thirty-One Partners, the selected developer for the project. He also presented an updated application for the project, to address village concerns shared in a previous meeting.
The proposal calls for a five-story building 87 feet at its tallest point with the majority of the building just under 73 feet. There would be 72 residential units and a bottom floor used for commercial space. As amended, the plan includes 87 parking spaces to provide covered parking for residents.
The addition of garages was among the updates in the new application. Also changed were design elements on the outside of the building, added landscaping to the front, the widening of the east-west alley, the addition of a social gathering space and creation of a designated space for rideshares and deliveries.
“River Forest is a small village, and I’m very proud to live in this village,” Jakovljevic said at the meeting. “But River Forest needs housing. They need multifamily units and residential units.”
The village bought the parcels of land on Madison Street almost a decade ago and has been working to redevelop the Madison corridor. Since the beginning of the process this January, the village has faced community opposition for the choice of Jakovljevic and his partners and the process getting to that choice.
The village received seven development proposals from different companies before selecting Five Thirty-One Partners. However, confidentiality agreements were signed so information on those proposals cannot be shared by the village. Many speakers shared their frustration with this process asking the board for more transparency.
Concerns about Jakovljevic’s connection to the eviction fight between Cigar Oasis and Sedgwick Partners LLC during one phase of long troubled Lake and Lathrop development were addressed at the village board meeting on March 23. Jakovljevic was a part owner of the cigar store. While presenting the updated plans to the review board, Jakovljevic made remarks on the unique local quality he provides to this project and emphasized why he was the right choice.
“They chose us for a reason, and the reason is we’re goddamn good. That’s the bottom line,” Jakovljevic said.
Some community members still don’t seem convinced.
There were 27 speakers during the public comment portion of the evening: 23 were opposed, two were in favor and two remained more neutral showing support for both sides but ultimately pushing for development. Most raised similar concerns about the density of units, height of the building, traffic issues and overall transparency in the process of choosing the developers.
“We are not opposed to development. We, the people of River Forest, ask for transparency, adequate time for meaningful public input, and a project scale to fit the existing homes and the character of this community.” said River Forest resident Deborah Borman. “Development should strengthen this community, not divide it.”
Currently, the zoning code only allows buildings up to 30 feet, and the density requirements for the land area per unit ratio would only allow 14 units on the parcel. The requirements for parking would mandate over 200 spaces.
“The zoning code is a contract between the property owners of the village and the village,” said Susan Singer, a resident in the neighborhood near the proposed development. “You can’t expect individual homeowners to abide by the zoning code and then approve a project that just throws it totally out the window.”
Village Administrator Matt Walsh pointed out that the tallest building in River Forest, William Place Condominiums, stands at about 87 feet and there are 18 five-story buildings in the village already.
Among the voices opposing the plans was Patty Henek, former village trustee, who voted to purchase property on Madison for future development. She said the plans presented do not align with the village’s Comprehensive Plan and would diminish the quality of life for existing owners.
Teresa Peavy, a resident living directly adjacent to the development, also spoke out against the plans. The shadow study in the application showed her property would be impacted most times during all seasons but summer. She said she has tried to work with the village over the past 10 years as different plans were presented, but ultimately, “it’s gotten worse, it’s not gotten better.”
Many speakers echoed that they did not trust the traffic study results, showing a less than 1% impact on traffic volumes at the nearby Madison Street and Des Plaines Avenue intersection. The traffic study was performed by KLOA and reviewed by Thomas Engineering, the company that performed the village-wide traffic study previously. They agreed with the methodologies and conclusions from the study and that it was more substantive than others typically are.
Supporters of the plans encouraged the board to take the criticisms of other attendees seriously and properly address concerns but also emphasized the importance of getting the land developed after such a long wait.
“While I respect my neighbor’s opposing point of view from my perspective, this property has been dead for about 10 years or more, and in the real world today, I think this is the highest and best use of the property,” said Jim Lynch, a River Forest resident.
The approval for the plans is conditional on moving back surface parking spots as far south as possible to help add separation from the closest properties. It will be recommended to the full board at a future meeting.