Council directs staff to prepare approval documents for nine‑lot subdivision on Lincoln and Oakwood after plan commission recommendation

The Highland Park City Council directed staff to prepare approval documents for a proposed resubdivision that would create nine single‑family lots at 711 Lincoln Avenue West and 1349–1357 Oakwood Avenue, following a Plan and Design Commission recommendation and a staff presentation of conditions.

Staff said the 2.77‑acre site would be subdivided into nine R‑6 lots that meet the district’s minimum lot‑area and lot‑width requirements; the smallest proposed lot is about 13,312 square feet and the smallest lot width is approximately 54.6 feet. Planning staff and the commission recommended variations for a through lot and non‑right‑angle lot lines based on preexisting nineteenth‑century platting patterns and noted similar variations had been approved previously in comparable situations.

Public works and staff flagged technical requirements to be completed before final action, including drainage and grading plans, storm‑sewer manhole relocation inside property lines, sidewalk installation around the development perimeter and estimated public‑improvement construction costs for the subdivider’s agreement. Staff said the project reduces impervious surface compared with the existing school site (from about 90,000 square feet to about 31,000 square feet).

On inclusionary housing, the applicant exercised the statutory by‑right option for single‑family subdivisions of fewer than 20 units to pay in lieu of providing on‑site affordable units. The developer’s payment in lieu for the required 1.8 units was quoted at $333,720, to be deposited into the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Neighbors raised concerns about fence placement, construction fencing that reduced sight lines at a nearby intersection and the timing of sidewalk construction; staff confirmed sidewalks are required along the entire development perimeter but said construction phasing may temporarily affect pedestrian access during the work. The council voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare approval documents (subdivider’s agreement and final plat language) for future final council consideration.

Why it matters: the project converts a vacant institutional parcel to single‑family housing, triggers subdivision‑scale variances because of historic lot geometry, and will contribute a payment‑in‑lieu to the city’s affordable housing fund while requiring public‑improvement agreements and construction oversight prior to final approval.