Elmhurst Developer 'Somewhat Confident' Getting City OK

ELMHURST, IL – The lawyer for an Elmhurst developer said this week that the company was "somewhat confident" it would get city approval for its revised plan for a townhome development.

Elmhurst resident John Pembroke, owner of Island Construction, is now proposing a 30-unit development at 240 W. Lake St. That's down from 36 units.

In the spring, the city's Zoning and Planning Commission rejected the townhome plan, saying it was too dense.

On Monday, attorney Michael Roth presented the new plan to a City Council committee. He got a good response.

"I appreciate that you reduced it. It looks better this way," Alderman Mark Mulliner said.

Alderwoman Dannee Polomsky said the new proposal seemed to incorporate what the developer heard from the zoning commission.

The plan next goes to the commission for a review, then to the full City Council.

In November, the City Council approved a larger subsidy for the townhome project – to $1.3 million, from $950,000.

Pembroke requested an increase in the city's contribution to $1.7 million because fewer units would mean less income.

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

The expectation is that as Pembroke builds units, that will increase property tax income, paying the city back the money.

Officials said the approval of the TIF money was not a guarantee the city would give the green light on the zoning.

The development would be on the site of an old Ford auto body shop, which has gone unused for more than a dozen years.