Lake Forest Aldermen Deny Appeal For Condominium Development Plan

LAKE FOREST, IL — The development of a proposed two-story condominium building that would provide multi-family housing along Lake Forest’s McKinley Road corridor took another hit this week as the city council upheld the decision of the Historical Preservation Commission’s to deny the project’s developer a certificate of appropriateness.

The council on Tuesday denied an appeal by the project's developer, which sought to overturn commission’s decision in July. The decision was made in a 4-3 council vote with Alderman James "Jed" Morris abstaining from the vote due to a conflict of interest.

Aldermen who voted to uphold the commission’s denial of the certificate of appropriateness agreed with the Historical Preservation Committee, saying that the developer did not meet the 17 standards laid out by the commission for needed changes to the design of the condominium building, which was the third phase of the development project of the area.

Aldermen Ted Notz, Jim Preschlack and Ara Goshgarian voted against the measure and said they fear that the city could face possible legal action for denying the developer’s request to move ahead with the project. They also said that the actions of the council could keep other developers from attempting to work with the city on future projects.

Notz said during the meeting that the developers had presented a proposal that is "attractive and tasteful" and takes into consideration the neighbors who live on the east and west sides of the property up that is part of the Phase III portion of the development plan.

Stating that “Lake Forest is not a museum”, Preschlack argued that the city needs to strike a balanced approach between preserving the city’s historical integrity and promoting growth and vitality moving forward.

Preschlack said upholding the committee's decision was not in the best interest of the city — both in and short and long term — and said decisions can't come at the expense of historical preservation, but that it also can't be "always no to any new development." He said upholding the Historical Preservation Committee's decision does real harm to the city and would have a "chilling affect" on future development in Lake Forest.

However, aldermen that voted to uphold the Historical Preservation Committee’s decision to deny the motion said that developers had not gone far enough in addressing concerns raised by the committee in July, when it denied the certificate of appropriateness.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Lake Forest residents had an array of opinions, including one local resident who said proposed changes to the project amounted to "putting lipstick on a pig." Many residents expressed concerns that the look of the proposed condominium did not meet the standards or visual appeal of the historic district where the development would take place.

The proposed 36-foot-tall, 24,000-square-foot condo building represents the third and final phase of McKinley Road multi-family planned development. The first phase was approved in 2017, with external construction on the second 705 N. McKinley Road building wrapping up earlier this year.

The commission’s decision on a 6-1 vote came after four hours of testimony and discussion during which residents expressed concerns over the size of the two-story building, its proposed rooftop patio and the precedent that the decision would set.

While Goshgarian said Tuesday night that the developer of the project had continually “taken it on the chin” in dealing with the city, aldermen who voted for upholding the commission’s decision, said that the developer had not gone far enough in addressing changes proposed by the historical commission.

This week’s meeting lasted nearly three hours during which one of the developers, Peter Witmer, argued that he and partner Todd Altounian had addressed all 17 issued raised by the committee. However, an attorney representing the neighbors who live in the area again raised concerns of those living in the area where the condominium was scheduled to be built.

Alderman Melanie Rummel said that the council needed to consider the city's historical track and should preserve the integrity of the design that makes Lake Forest what it is. She, along with other members of the council, said that previous committees and commissioners had done their due diligence in making previous decisions and that work needed to be recognized.

The condominium would be located on the city-owned former site of the Quinlan Coach House at 361 E. Westminster Ave., which later became a Masonic lodge and the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society, as well as a portion of 373 E. Westminster Ave., the to-be-demolished house to its north.