'Unbelievable' Burr Ridge Apartment Proposals

BURR RIDGE, IL – The village of Burr Ridge needs to change the way it is handling the five-story vacant building near Village Center, an official said last week.

"The time is now for the village to create a vision for the future of this property, this fundamental property within our community," Trustee Guy Franzese said at a Village Board meeting.

This could be done with the creation of a downtown plan, which has wide support among trustees, he said.

He was referring to the old TCF Bank building at 800 Burr Ridge Parkway. It has been vacant for the last few years.

Franzese noted the village has received a number of inquiries from developers.

"The village should be encouraging what is desired for this property through such a vision and not simply reacting to the requests and desires of developers, which is what we have been doing to date," Franzese said.

He suggested forming an ad hoc committee and hiring a consultant to help with the downtown plan. The consultant could be paid for with money in the downtown business district's account, he said.

In 2021, the Village Board imposed a 1 percent sales tax for stores, restaurants and a hotel inside the newly formed business district.

At the time, officials said the money would benefit the district itself with such things as buildings, roads, utilities, demolition of buildings and renovations of existing ones.

Mayor Gary Grasso said the village still lacks a clear vision for the TCF property, but it would work on one.

He said most of the proposals for the TCF site so far have been apartments. The densities are "unbelievable" and the configurations are "unacceptable," he said.

"I think we do need some better guidance than what people want to build on that property," he said.

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

In 2020, Mayor Gary Grasso warned the village may declare a "moratorium" on the TCF site. He said the purpose was to get the owner's attention and "red-flag it to get it developed."