Elmhurst Mayor Lauds Downtown Apartments

ELMHURST, IL – The proliferation of apartment and condo complexes in downtown Elmhurst upsets some residents, but Mayor Scott Levin is a fan.

In a recent mailer to residents, Levin wrote about how the complexes are helping Elmhurst. Such development, he said, has been "smartly done and has kept our City alive."

Like his predecessor, Steve Morley, Levin prefers what is known as "transit-oriented" development for train commuters and others. Officials say downtown residents help nearby shops survive at a time when online shopping is becoming increasingly popular.

Opponents contend the big housing complexes are changing the character of the community and making downtown traffic more problematic.

Downtown took a blow in 2011 when Elmhurst Hospital moved from downtown to the city's south end, Levin said. Before, hospital employees and patients' families patronized downtown businesses, he said. Now they're closer to Oak Brook's business districts.

But he said the new complexes have revived downtown. He noted the recent opening of the 200-unit Vyne on Haven apartment complex. Others are Elmhurst 255, The Marke and The Fynn.

He acknowledged complaints about the effects on traffic downtown. But he said city studies in 2009 and 2019 showed a slight, albeit insignificant, decrease in traffic.

The complexes, he said, include few school-age children, meaning less of an impact on local schools. At the same time, the additional property means more money for schools, which take up about three-quarters of property tax bills.

"I recognize and appreciate that these new developments, along with the new parking garages, changed the small-town feel that may have previously existed," Levin said.

But at the same time, longtime Elmhurst residents can attest to the "moribund nature" of downtown in the late 1980s, with many closed businesses and a lack of pedestrians, the mayor said.

"Elmhurst has reinvested in and reinvented our downtown to a vibrant, successful business district that is enjoyed by many," Levin said. "It is the envy of many suburbs" in the Chicago area.

The city is now reviewing its long-term downtown plan.