After 2nd Try, Elmhurst Townhomes OK'd

ELMHURST, IL – In a second attempt, a developer got the Elmhurst City Council's approval Monday for a townhome development in the northwest part of town.

Last year, two city committees found that the 36-unit project at 240 W. Lake St. would be too dense. After the developer reduced the proposal to 30 units, it got the go-ahead from the committees.

The developer is Elmhurst resident John Pembroke of Island Construction.

At Monday's council meeting, Ward 2 Alderman Bob Dunn, who represents the area in question, said the proposal was a good one.

He thanked the developer for being flexible, particularly in agreeing to build a sidewalk to the neighborhood to the south.

"I didn't want to see a project where (the residents) were isolated and locked in on Lake Street," Dunn told the council. "We want the people moving into these townhomes to be welcome and part of the community and be able to walk through the neighborhoods there."

The council voted 11-0 for the development, with Alderman Chris Jensen voting "present." Jensen said he wanted to prevent a "possible conflict of interest."

Aldermen Michael Honquest and Brian Cahill were absent.

The land in question has been vacant for more than a dozen years, once the site of a Ford auto body shop.

In 2021, the city agreed to provide the developer up to $950,000 for water and stormwater infrastructure, waiver of permit fees and vacation of an alley behind the property.

That money is to come from the neighborhood's tax increment financing district, or TIF, where growth in property tax money is designated for improvements in that area.

Last fall, the developer asked to nearly double the amount because the smaller development would mean less income. The added city money would establish a market return of 7 percent for the project, Pembroke said.

The council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee recommended the extra money.