Next Step For Elmhurst Historic Home Demolition

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst City Council committee on Monday is set to take up a zoning change that could pave the way for demolishing a historic house.

Last month, the city's Zoning and Planning Commission voted unanimously for the change. The adjustment is the first step in letting Richard "RJ" Parrilli and his wife, Alyssa Parrilli, tear down the house at 292 S. Arlington Ave.

In the spring, they bought the nearly century-old house for $2 million. They want to consolidate their main lot with a side parcel. That would let them demolish the house and build a bigger one.

Neighbors oppose tearing down the house. They say too many such homes have been demolished in recent years, hurting the neighborhood and the city in general.

At a May 21 meeting, Zoning and Planning commissioners said their job was to follow strict land-use criteria on whether to approve the lot consolidation. They said it was the council's role to make policy decisions on the broader issue of teardowns.

"I know neighbors are very emotional about it," Commissioner Melissa Pittman said. "I hope they understand we have to look at the specific criteria. It is our sole job – to look at these and come to a conclusion based on facts and facts alone."

Commissioner Kevin Byrnes agreed.

"We have no authority as a commission to legally prevent the demolition of this house," he said. "It's not a tool we have."

Byrnes said he appreciated historic preservation, saying he previously owned a house built in 1908. But he said the City Council, not the commission, has the power to enact ordinances dealing with such issues.

The two aldermen representing the neighborhood are Ward 4's Noel Talluto and Brian Cahill.

At 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, the council's Development, Planning and Zoning Commission plans to review the commission's recommendation to approve the Parrillis' zoning request.