Former Plainfield Fire Station To Become Commercial, Residential Development

PLAINFIELD, IL -- Plans to revamp the former Plainfield Fire Protection District fire station in downtown Plainfield are moving ahead, with a proposal to turn the building into a mixed-use development with commercial/restaurant space as well as residential units.

Plainfield trustees voted unanimously Monday to approve the Plan Commission's findings on the project and direct the village attorney to draft an ordinance approving a special use for planned development at the site, 15025 S. Des Plaines St.

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"I think the design here is very creative," trustee Bill Lamb said of the proposal from developer Station One, which bought the vacant property from the fire department in September.

Under Station One's proposal, the building's ground floor would be converted for retail and/or restaurant use, while the second floor would be redeveloped into six residential units. A possible second phase calls for a building addition with four more apartments on the second floor and commercial space on the first floor.

Trustee Ed O'Rourke noted that the development "could be very parking intensive."

According to Station One's proposal, the first phase will bring 6,700 square feet of commercial space. Village ordinance requires one parking space for 300 square feet of general retail space or 100 square feet of restaurant space -- which means depending on how the site is ultimately used, it will require 22 to 67 spaces for the commercial portion. The second-floor apartments would require an additional nine spaces, for a total of 31 to 76 spaces. According to village, the proposed second phase would require another 20 to 47 parking spots. "This parking can be accommodated on the parcel and in on-street and off-street public parking in the vicinity," according to the Plan Commission's report.

The proposal calls for converting the ground floor into two retail spaces and reconfiguring the current driveway apron with a new curb and on-street parallel parking on the east side of Des Plaines Street. The driveway area would become an outdoor dining space with retractable canopies for each potential restaurant space, according to Station One's plans.

The Des Plaines Street building housed Fire Station 1 from 1950 until a new facility opened at 14415 S. Coil Plus Drive in April 2009. The fire department's offices and training facilities remained on DesPlaines Street until they were relocated to the Fire District Administrative and Training Facility at 23748 W. 135th St. in August 2011.

Photo: The former Plainfield Fire Station 1 on DesPlaines Street in downtown Plainfield/Shannon Antinori (Patch Staff)