Burr Ridge Multi-Family Housing Pushed

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Burr Ridge committee's members showed support last month for a development including multi-family housing on an old bank property near the Village Center.

According to meeting minutes, Economic Development Committee members said they knew some residents opposed multi-family housing such as apartments and condos on the TCF Bank site, which has been vacant for a few years.

But they said a mixed-use development containing retail and multi-family housing would benefit Burr Ridge. The density, they said, is essential to attracting new businesses.

Members asked Hannah Weyant, the village's special projects manager, to prepare a recommendation to pursue a development that includes multi-family housing.

At the meeting, Burr Ridge resident Richard Kozarits spoke in favor of a mixed-use project on the property. He said the village's existing shopping centers are struggling and that a new one would likely fail, according to meeting minutes.

He argued that residents' concerns about a mix-used development are unfounded.

The bank property, which contains a five-story building, is at 800 Burr Ridge Parkway, next to the Village Center and County Line Square. The village has received a number of inquiries from developers.

In February, Mayor Gary Grasso said the village still lacked a clear vision for the TCF property, but would work on one. Most of the proposals for the TCF site, he said, have been apartments. The densities are "unbelievable" and the configurations are "unacceptable," he said.

Last year, the village indicated a developer wanted 400 to 500 apartments on the property.