Skokie’s Village Board at its Feb. 20 meeting gave approval to allow the construction of 68 townhomes at the address for Arie Crown Hebrew Day School, which plans to move after the school year concludes, according to Skokie officials.
Developer Luz and Associates #1 proposed the townhomes as two- and three-bedroom luxury units with rents in the $4,000-per-month range at 4600 Main Street, according to a developer’s representative.
During its lengthy process from the Plan Commission and Appearance Commission to the first vote on the Village Board, the development received opposition from some neighbors who did not wish to see increased neighborhood density, and it also received some opposition from other Skokie residents because none of the apartments were marketed as affordable.
According to Mark Gershon, the developer’s attorney, the development will have two-car garages, electric vehicle charging stations, and landscape buffers on Kenton and Kilpatrick, the north-south streets on either side of the complex, with a single curb cut on each street. There would also be room for an open green space in the middle of the townhomes, 22 guest parking spaces, and a fence on the northern end of the development.
When the developers presented their plans to the Plan Commission and the Appearance Commission on Sept. 7, 2023, the village board was mulling an inclusionary zoning ordinance that would require new developments with more than 11 units to have some of their units be marketed as affordable or pay a fee in lieu to the village that would fund repairs and maintenance on the village’s existing affordable housing. The developer decided to pay a $450,000 fee.
Ultimately, the Board on Nov. 20 rejected a proposed affordable housing ordinance in a 3-4 vote, but the board could consider a revised ordinance in the future. Board could approve. He said the village board could also come up with another affordable housing ordinance.
Some neighbors who were dissatisfied with the proposed development presented their concerns at the Dec. 18 village board meeting. More than 100 residents signed a petition airing their complaints that the development would not fit in with the neighborhood because it was too dense and because the village did not notify adequate numbers of neighbors.
“The only concern of the Plan Commission is that construction meets village codes based on the interpretation of that code by village staff,” said resident Susan Phillips. “Meeting code is important, but just because a proposal checks all the boxes doesn’t mean it’s right for the neighborhood. The developer and its representatives have laid out all the plans, but they don’t live here. What may be fine in one area is not necessarily right in another. The proposed buildings are out of character with the surroundings and are way too dense. There’s just too much packed into that property,” she said.
Gershon said the developer made multiple changes regarding density to find a middle ground with the community and the Plan Commission. Gershon said the developer went through four proposals, with the first being a five-story apartment building and townhomes. That was followed by a four-story apartment building and townhomes, then a three-story apartment building and townhomes, before the developer decided to scrap the apartments and build only townhomes. The revisions reduced the number of units from 158 to 68 for the developer’s approved proposal.
During the Village Board’s first vote in December, Johnson was the sole trustee to vote no on the proposal, saying he would have wanted the developer to offer affordable units. On Tuesday, Johnson again voted no and said he was concerned that Polsinelli Law Group, Gershon’s employer, donated $1,000 to the Skokie Caucus Party in 2022. The remaining members of the village board are members of the Skokie Caucus Party.
Arie Crown’s Director of Communications Elana Meyers told Pioneer Press in an email that the school will be moving to 7787 Gross Point Rd. over the summer in preparation for the 2024-25 school year.
“We have been at our current location since 1987 and are looking forward to this move in order to provide a state-of-the-art, spacious educational home for our growing student population,” she wrote.
