Elmhurst Warned On Dropping Home Values

ELMHURST, IL – The dropping home values near Roberto's Pizzeria in Elmhurst did not come out of left field.

The possibility was raised in October 2021. That was when aldermen debated whether to grant Roberto's request for parking lots behind its building.

These parking lots were made possible after the restaurant bought a house and demolished it.

Recently, the York Township property assessor knocked down the values of two houses next to Roberto's.

In the discussion, Alderman Emily Bastedo argued against approving the parking lots, saying they would hurt nearby property values. She cast aside assertions that other houses were next to parking lots in town.

She said aldermen, as elected officials, could bring their life experiences in making judgments about requests for things such as parking lots.

"We all know that a house on the ocean is worth much more than one three blocks from the ocean," Bastedo said.

By the same token, she said, a house with a parking lot on two sides is going to be worth less than one surrounded by houses. She said she saw the house that was eventually demolished.

"It had lace curtains. A family had raised their kids there," Bastedo said. "I'm sorry, that's drastically different from a parking lot wrapped around a house."

Bastedo said aldermen have a duty to protect the property values of constituents.

"These neighbors bought next to a house that was zoned residential. You can show as many examples as you'd like of parking lots next to houses. There's nothing like this. Nowhere in Elmhurst has someone bought a house and torn it down and turned it into a parking lot against the strong objections of the neighbors."

Then-Alderman Mark Mulliner agreed.

"When you have a neighbor there, they're anticipating that the house is going to be there. They bought into a residential neighborhood," Mulliner said. "I wholeheartedly support Roberto's – the best pizza in town, there is absolutely no question in my mind. But at the same time, this project just does not make sense."

For her part, then-Alderwoman Dannee Polomsky, who backed the parking lots, called the request "fundamentally a property rights issue." She noted the city's Zoning and Planning Commission recommended the project.

"On what grounds can the council reject the Zoning and Planning Commission's recommendation in a way that does not appear arbitrary?" Polomsky said.

Polomsky also disputed the neighborhood's objections to letting a restaurant and bar have a parking lot next to houses.

"The code doesn't govern the activities of the drivers of those cars," Polomsky said.

Bastedo, though, disagreed that the council was limited in its powers in the situation.

"As a city, we tell people all the time what they can and can't do with their property, so, yes, it's about property rights," she said.

Polomsky's arguments won the day. The council voted 7-6 to allow the parking lots at its October 2021 meeting.

In a recent story, Polomsky responded to the news of the dropping property values near Roberto's.