Hinsdale Leader Argues Against 'Knee-Jerk Reaction'

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale officials repeatedly said Tuesday they have made no decisions on a proposed retiree development at Ogden Avenue and Adams Street. But they made one point about the proposal: It could be better for neighbors than the alternative.

Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies is pushing for a 267-unit development. Most of the units would be on the northwest side of the intersection, but some would also be on the northeast side.

Just last week, the village's Plan Commission rejected a 46-unit single-family housing subdivision on the northeast side, proposed by Burr Ridge-based McNaughton Development. That proposal drew the opposition of Village President Tom Cauley.

The two developments have been planned for the campus of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a non-denominational Christian organization that is selling the property.

As for the Ryan project, Cauley stated several times at Tuesday's Village Board meeting that no trustees are pushing the project.

Cauley noted Ryan withdrew its earlier proposal and submitted a new one. Under the new plan, the developer would reduce the proposed height of the tallest building from four stories to three, add dedicated left and right turn lanes from Adams to Ogden, and donate 12 acres of open space east of Adams to the village.

The main portion of the institute's property is zoned institutional. And as village officials pointed out, that zoning could allow a school, a veterans hospital, a satellite college campus or any other governmental building.

"Someone could come and develop the property and have a lot more impact on the surrounding community than the Ryan project," Cauley told the Village Board.

He said while some nearby residents want the institute's property to stay vacant, "that's not a realistic view of things. The owner of the property has the right to develop it and sell it to someone for an institutional use."

Cauley also said the development of independent living and assisted living for seniors is arguably something the community needs.

"It's better than other possible developments," he said. "Some day, that property will be developed. If we have something that looks like a good project, we should consider it, not reject it out of hand."

In 14 years on the Village Board, Cauley said he has seen that when residents are opposed to a project, they are determined to stay against it, no matter the changes or concessions. But he urged residents to take into account the changes to the Ryan proposal.

"I don't know that a knee-jerk reaction to this project is in the best interests of anyone," he said.

In a letter to the village last week, the company said the 12-acre donation would be the only Hinsdale park north of Ogden.

"This beautiful piece of property will be a benefit for the community to enjoy," Dave Erickson, a Ryan vice president, said in the letter.

Trustee Laurel Haarlow was positive about the changes to the plan.

"I think this is an improvement over the last proposal, and I appreciate that," she said.

Asked about the costs for the development's residents, Erickson said the company would charge a "minimal" upfront fee. Depending on the market, he said, the monthly charges would be $4,000 to $8,000 for independent living, $5,000 to $8,000 for assisted living and $8,000 for memory care.

No members of the public commented on the Ryan development at Tuesday's meeting. However, a group called Save Fullersburg Woods has formed in opposition to development at the intersection. It says it wants to prevent the "overdevelopment" of Hinsdale.

At its meeting in early October, the board plans to vote on whether to refer Ryan's proposal to the Plan Commission.