La Grange Residents Out Of Loop On Condo Plan?

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange officials knew about the planned teardown of an iconic building for a condo development more than seven months before residents found out about it.

In January, the Village Board unanimously approved developer Dan Spain's proposal for a 39-unit condo complex. That involves the demolition of the century-old Jackson Square antique mall at 112 E. Burlington Ave. Many residents spoke out against it.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Village Manager Jack Knight said La Grange's practices for approving developments are similar to those in other towns, saying state and local regulations dictate the process.

According to La Grange's timeline, Spain first corresponded with the village about his plan on Sept. 27, 2024.

A "pre-application" meeting was held on Nov. 25. The village's meeting notes say that the meeting consisted of Spain, his architects, village staffers, two elected trustees and two members of the Plan Commission. No one from the public was listed as attending.

Under the village code, a pre-application meeting is held so that the developer can present concepts. Knight said such meetings are listed on public agendas posted to the village website. And he said the public is welcome to attend and speak at those meetings.

Patch has asked Knight where such information can be found on the website.

On June 13, 2025, La Grange received Spain's application for zoning approval. The next couple of months, the village requested more information from the developer, Knight said.

On Aug. 21, the village published a legally required notice in a newspaper for a Sept. 9 Plan Commission hearing on the proposal. A day later, a sign about the hearing was posted on the property.

On Aug. 26, a village notice was mailed to neighbors. That was 15 days before the hearing – the minimum required under state law.

Then the village canceled the Sept. 9 meeting, blaming a post office delay. It was rescheduled for Oct. 14. The developer's materials were posted to the village's website a week earlier.

The commission approved the development with conditions. The Village Board waited until Jan. 12 as the developer worked to satisfy the conditions.

In January, resident Jonathan Robinson, who lives next to the proposed condos, asked the Plan Commission to consider requiring developers to hold meetings with neighbors before filing applications, as some towns do.

The village staff recommended against the idea, but plan commissioners expressed interest.

In an email last month, Patch asked Village Manager Knight about the timeline, which he provided. Patch also inquired about what is holding the village back from informing the public about planned developments earlier. He did not say.

Robinson had an interest in the proposed condos. The village's documents say that the developer's requested setbacks were "significantly violating" Robinson's property.

In an email to Patch on Wednesday, Robinson noted that the village's original 15-day postmarked notice was the absolute minimum under state law.

"My concerns are less with overall notice and more with just how much the developer has the ear of the village. They spent mid-June through mid-August going back and forth with application data," he said. "They had days and months to discuss and convince the village of things."

With that back and forth, he said, the staff gets on the same page with the developer, understanding each other. The staff's report was one-sided, he said, representing the developer's perspective, but not that of neighbors.

"It is all but a done deal by the time it goes in front of the plan commission," Robinson said. "It is really all about the fact that I was treated like an adversary the whole time, while the developer was treated like their friend."