'Weird' Part Of Elmhurst Long-Term Development Plan: Official

ELMHURST, IL – The townhomes proposed for West Avenue and Third Street in Elmhurst would be a less disruptive use for the neighborhood than what could happen, the developer indicated Monday.

The 13 townhomes would be on the northeast and northwest corners of the intersection, replacing an office building, a gym and a couple of houses.

Some neighbors say the complex would increase traffic, block sunlight and hurt the suburban feel. Others say the townhomes would be an improvement over some of the existing buildings.

West Avenue from Third Street to North Avenue already contains a mix of houses, townhomes and businesses.

The city's 2009 long-term plan for development, known as the "comprehensive plan," favors commercial development on the block.

On Monday, a City Council committee looked at the townhome proposal.

"Are we setting a precedent that we don't need to pay attention to the comprehensive plan?" Alderman Guido Nardini said.

At the same time, he said the transformation from commercial to residential was reasonable. He described the idea of a commercial strip dipping south from North Avenue as "weird."

The city's planner, Eileen Franz, noted the long-term plan was from nearly two decades ago.

"We have not looked at this area in a long time," she said.

In his presentation, Walker Kirkikis of developer Island Construction said the townhomes would increase the traffic sight line at the northeast part of the intersection. Now, the gym is next to the sidewalk.

Under current zoning, Kirkikis and Franz said, the owner could construct a four-story building where the gym is. And they said the office building northwest of Third and West could be busier than the existing newspaper office.

"We're trying to find a happy medium for all involved," Kirkikis said.

The townhome proposal is before the council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee. At Monday's meeting, Nardini and Alderman Chris Jensen had no objections to the plan.

But they said they wanted to hear the feedback of Alderwoman Jennifer Veremis, who was absent. They expect to resume their discussion next month.