Plan and Design Commission backs rezoning and design review for 227-townhome plan at former Solo Cup site

The Plan and Design Commission on Sept. 9 recommended that the City Council approve a planned-unit development (PUD) to rezone and redevelop the former Solo Cup property at 1660 and 1700 Old Deerfield Road into a 227-unit townhome community.

The commission voted to adopt findings of fact and to approve the project's design review after an extended hearing and public comment period. The votes recommending rezoning and approving design review each passed 5-2; Commissioners Henry and Vice Chair Kirsch voted no. The recommendation now goes to City Council for final action.

The applicant, the Habitat Company, presented a revised plan that reduces the project from an earlier 240 units to 227 units, and increases common open space and buffer setbacks along the north property line. "The applicant reduced by 5 units ... so it is now down to 227," said Carl Berhoppe, senior planner for the city of Highland Park, summarizing the changes in the latest staff packet.

Why this matters: the 19.07-acre portion proposed for RM-1 zoning and a 9.12-acre portion proposed for R-7 would allow the developer to build a clustered townhome community on the southern portion of the property while leaving a 0.43-acre strip of light-industrial zoning at the north edge. The project includes a mix of site changes—new turn lanes on Old Deerfield Road, relocated private road alignments, two dog parks, a clubhouse and increased landscaping—and triggers multiple code modifications, including modest height relief for buildings and adjustments to inclusionary-housing distribution rules.

Traffic and safety were the most frequent concerns raised by residents and commissioners. The applicant’s traffic consultant, Michael Wortzeman of KLOA, told the commission the updated 2031 forecast "includes Sherwood Elementary, Red Oak Elementary and the West Ridge Community Center" in projected volumes and that "all of the intersections are projected to operate at a very good level of service A or B." Civiltech, the city’s third-party reviewer, provided a written concurrence that the applicant’s analysis was conservative and that proposed left-turn lanes at Old Deerfield and Richfield should improve operations.

The developer also offered a post-occupancy monitoring commitment. Katie Jinke Dale, attorney for the Habitat Company, told the commission the team is "willing to...agree to a condition that once the project is at a certain level of occupancy, we'll commit to having a traffic consultant come back out" and to implement mitigations the city requires if the follow-up study shows problems.

Other key project elements and staff conditions captured in the hearing record: - Zoning and acreage: 19.07 acres to RM-1; 9.12 acres to R-7; a 0.43-acre industrial strip to remain along the north boundary to reduce impacts on adjacent commercial properties. - Unit count and density: 227 units (a net reduction of 5 units from a prior 232–240 iteration); the project’s density was reported at about 7.9 units per acre versus an earlier submission of 8.4 units per acre. - Open space and landscaping: staff reported open common space increasing from 43.6% to 44.9% of the site; the applicant revised the central amenity area, removed some private-street parking and added tree and shrub plantings; a solid 8-foot fence is proposed along the north property line with additional landscaping in the buffer. - Parking and public-benefit items: net parking decreased by about 17 spaces; the applicant proposes public access easement(s) along the northeastern spur access road, 12 public parking spaces on that spur, 14 off-street parking spaces offered to the police department, and bicycle/pedestrian improvements at several intersections. - Height and code modifications: the developer requested up to 3–6 feet of height relief above the 35-foot RM-1 limit for portions of the townhomes; staff tied any relief to the specific elevations submitted and noted the roof-peak measurement reaches about 42'11" as measured under the code’s height definition. - Inclusionary housing: the applicant requested a modified distribution for affordable rental units (proposing 66% of affordable units at or below 60% AMI, and relief from a 100% AMI requirement for one tier); the housing commission previously recommended approval of the proposed modification and the city confirmed the overall 15% affordable component and the earlier payment-in-lieu framework remain in effect until the applicant submits a final revision tied to the 227-unit plan.

Public comment and staff review: dozens of residents and area stakeholders spoke to traffic, school impacts, crosswalk safety at Devonshire Court and Ridge Road, tree canopy preservation, and density. Multiple parties asked that the Devonshire/Ridge crosswalk receive an engineering safety review before final approvals; staff added a recommended condition directing the city’s engineering division to evaluate that crossing as part of final engineering. The Park District also submitted comments asking for sidewalks, curb cuts and specific playground standards for the proposed tot lot; staff included those items in the conditions and the commission added a requirement that the tot-lot equipment meet Park District standards.

Commission action and next steps: the Plan and Design Commission adopted findings of fact recommending Council approval and separately approved the design review. Both votes carried 5–2 (Incek, Fettner, Nannas, Mantis and Chair Moore: aye; Henry and Vice Chair Kirsch: nay). The commission’s recommendation includes the conditions summarized in the staff report plus the two additions discussed at the hearing: (1) engineering review of the Devonshire Court crosswalk for safety at final engineering, and (2) tot-lot equipment to meet Park District standards. The Council will consider the PUD rezoning, preliminary plat and SUP as part of its legislative review; final engineering, permitting and any required off-site improvements will be resolved in subsequent submittals if the Council approves the rezoning.

What remains unsettled: several residents and two commissioners said density remains too high for the site; other commissioners said the revised plan meaningfully reduced impacts and that the post-occupancy traffic monitoring commitment reduces risk. Final planting/species lists and precise engineering for the crosswalk and intersection work will be reviewed during the final plan/engineering phase.

The project packet and staff findings, plus the city’s third-party traffic review from Civiltech and the applicant’s KLOA analysis, will be included in the Council packet when the item is scheduled for Council consideration.