Village Board Gives Go-Ahead for Apartment Complex

A controversial apartment complex will be coming soon to New Lenox, with a few tweaks to the original plans.

Trustees at Monday’s meeting voted unanimously in favor of Lincoln Station apartments; Trustee Dave Smith was absent. The complex will include 208 units, down from the original 312, and a total of three buildings plus a clubhouse. Fewer units keeps the project in alignment with the Village’s standards, Mayor Tim Baldermann said.

Density and parking were among residents’ top concerns about the 16-acre complex, set to be built near New Lenox’s Rock Island Line Metra station. The station currently averages about 800 cars a day, and with the initial proposed plan of 300 apartments, residents feared a potential 600 additional cars could create congestion. Decreasing the number of units addressed that problem, Baldermann said.

The approved plans include two parking spaces for every one-bedroom apartment, and three for every two-bedroom, plus extra spaces banked if needed, Baldermann said. The one- and two-bedroom apartments will average 849 square feet in size and average $1,600 a month in rent, according to New Lenox Development Co.

The company also reiterated that there will be no federal funding used for the project, eliminating the possibility of Section 8 housing.