Backers of a proposed multifamily building on Green Bay Road in Glencoe face an uphill climb in their quest to build a three-story building.
At the conclusion of a nearly six-hour meeting Sept. 13, the village’s zoning commission unanimously voted to direct staff to write a resolution recommending the denial of a request from building owner Steve McGuire to change the existing zoning regulations from single family to multifamily.
If McGuire were granted those changes to the lot at 538 Green Bay Road, that would be a crucial step toward construction of the proposed six-unit residential building on the three-parcel property.
At an Oct. 4 meeting, the commission unanimously voted to recommend that the request be denied. This followed the petitioner’s request the vote be delayed allowing for a meeting with neighbors, but the request was denied, according to Development Services Manager Taylor Baxter. The recommendation now goes to the Glencoe Village Board, which has the final word on the proposal.
The proposed condominium units would range between 1,600 to 2,400 square feet and would either be two or three bedrooms, according to village documents.
Scott Freres, president of urban planning firm Lakota Group, is representing McGuire. He said there were plans to design a building that would not obstruct a neighbor’s green technology and the site would respect area homes, according to meeting minutes.
Freres also said the plans were drawn up based on the village’s 2004 Comprehensive Plan update and subsequent plans calling for development along Green Bay Road.
However, the proposal drew fierce opposition from some neighbors of the property, fearing the possible impact on the area and in some cases, the building’s height. Many wrote letters to the village ahead of the meeting along with testifying Sept. 13.
“Any time you have this volume of people speaking, we have to listen,” said Scott Novack, zoning commission chairman.
Following the meeting, neighbor Barney Gallagher said he was pleased with the negative recommendation.
“It is gratifying that the commission has recognized neighbors’ concerns for their privacy, the enjoyment of their homes, and the loss of value that would have resulted,” Gallagher said in a text message. “A three-story condominium development doesn’t fit in a neighborhood of mostly single-family homes.”
McGuire’s attorney Christopher Canning said his client was disappointed with the negative recommendation.
“As we said all along this was perhaps the last and best site for multifamily housing along Green Bay Road in Glencoe,” Canning noted.
Some of the commissioners were upset McGuire did not speak for himself at the meeting, letting others such as Freres and Canning do the talking.
“I think that is abhorrent, I just don’t see how that is possible in a community like our own,” Commissioner David Friedman said.
“He thought the architects, the planner and myself would do a better job of speaking to the commissioners,” Canning responded.
The Village Board is expected to start consideration of the recommendation Oct. 21, according to Baxter.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.
