The rocky road to constructing a 10-story, 24-unit apartment building adjacent to the historic Boulevard Arcade Building on South Blvd. will make a stop before the Oak Park Plan Commission on Feb. 19.
Because the proposed building abuts the Boulevard Arcade Building, the owner, under guidance of project architect John Schiess, sought a Certificate of Appropriateness from the village’s Historic Preservation Commission during several appearances before that group. The preservation commission denied the COA. Some residents in the area have been vocal in their opposition.
In November 2025, Oak Park’s village board heard the owner’s appeal and issued a COA for the building. It was then directed to the Plan Commission for review.
The plan commission will consider the application of Sachem Builder, LLC and its principal J. Trent Stoner for the project at 1035 South Blvd.
The plan commission meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, 123 Madison St. and is open to the public. Public comment is welcome.
The application, including renderings can be seen here: https://www.oak-park.us/files/assets/oakpark/v/1/boards-and-commissions/plan-commission/applications-for-public-hearing/1035-combined-pdf-all-application-docs-1_27_26-traffic-study-added-reduced.pdf
The owners are requesting relief from zoning ordinances regarding building height, off-street parking and unit density.
The agenda for the special meeting is available on the village website.
