LA GRANGE, IL – A developer with experience in La Grange is planning a local 84-unit townhome development.
Near downtown, it would be called Granby Yard. It would be southeast of Bluff and Cossitt Avenues, along the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad.
The project would require the demolition of houses on Bluff Avenue. Industrial buildings along the railroad have been cleared in recent years.
The developer is Columbus, Ohio-based M/I Homes.
That's a familiar name in town. The company built the Mason Pointe subdivision from 2019 to 2022 in La Grange. For that development, the village approved the construction of 58 townhomes and a dozen single-family houses, according to a Chicago Tribune story.
On Aug. 7, attorney Eric Prechtel sent a letter to neighbors about a planned meeting with residents on the project. It is set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at the La Grange Public Library.
Prechtel said the developer would provide an overview and then take questions.
In La Grange, developers are not yet required to meet with neighbors before submitting their plans to the village. However, some developers do so as a practice.
La Grange is getting close to making neighbor meetings a requirement.
Since January, resident Jonathan Robinson has pushed such a rule. The village's staff at first opposed it, but the Plan Commission expressed support early on. Last month, the panel approved it.
The proposal next goes to the Village Board for consideration.
Robinson got involved because he lives next to a proposed condo complex that the Village Board approved in January. The project means the demolition of Jackson Square at 112 E. Burlington Ave., which is considered a historic building.
The village knew about the proposed development for nine months before letting residents in the loop. The notice for the originally planned public hearing arrived 15 days beforehand.
The developer, Dan Spain, who owns La Grange's The Elm restaurant and lives in La Grange Park, did not hold a neighborhood meeting.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
La Grange Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.