Comedian Richard Pryor advised his fans never to admit to infidelity even if caught in the act: “Who you gonna believe, your lyin’ eyes or me?” The River Forest Planned Development Review Board took a similar approach when recommending approval of the proposed 72-unit rental building at 7620 Madison. At 87 feet tall, the building is nearly three times the maximum 30 feet permitted. It will provide less than half the required parking. Setbacks will be waived to allow open air parking and 13-foot-high garages along the entire property line of adjacent single-family homes.
At the meeting, distraught homeowners spoke out about the headlights and exhaust that will be right outside their windows. The father of a young child talked about the lost enjoyment of their backyard. One speaker presented a computer-generated “shadow map.” It demonstrates that, because the building is due south, several rows of homes will be in the building’s shadow for days on end during the winter.
The board did not dispute the merit of these arguments, which are supported by the facts of the proposal. Instead they chose to accept the developers’ assertion that the project would not adversely affect the value, use and enjoyment of nearby property. “Who you gonna believe, homeowners, your lyin’ eyes or us?”
I urge every River Forest resident to review this proposal, available online at the village website. It’s almost 200 pages long. I encourage you to read the requested allowances from the zoning requirements to get a quick idea of how far off from River Forest standards this project is. Decide for yourself if those most affected are being treated fairly.
I didn’t realize until recently reviewing the TIF District online how many homes are in it. Please stand up for your neighbors now before the damage is done.
Susan Singer
River Forest