Controversial Darien Apartment Project To Start

DARIEN, IL – The developer of a Darien apartment building project, which sparked a controversy last year, plans to break ground next month.

South Barrington-based Jade Group aims to hold a groundbreaking ceremony with city officials during the second week of September.

It is set for the southeast corner of South Frontage Road and Sokol Court, east of the Extended Stay America hotel.

In May 2021, the City Council voted 4-3 in favor of the 70-unit, four-story apartment building. This was after the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-1 against the proposal.

Neighbors expressed opposition to the project.

"We went through a tough time to get it approved," Ram Prashantha, one of the partners with The Jade Group, said in an interview with Patch. "From our point of view, this building will look beautiful."

He described the units as big, saying they will be 1,200 to 1,400 square feet. The complex will include amenities such as charging stations for electric cars, he said.

During the approval process, Paul Swanson of Mount Prospect-based Paul Swanson Associates was the public face of the project.

Prashantha said Swanson is the architect who handled the permits. The Jade Group has been the developer all along, Prashantha said.

The project, called The Jade Residences of Waterfall Glen, is expected to cost $15.3 million.

The debate over the project was heated, with at least a couple of aldermen upset over written comments they deemed derogatory toward renters. One said some comments came off as racist and classist.

During public input at a council meeting, residents said the four-story building was too large for the property in question. They also objected to the proposed building's height, its closeness to a children's park and the effects on drainage.

The neighbors rejected suggestions that their opposition was rooted in racism or classism.