Lake Bluff planners continue comprehensive plan review after public comments on housing, height limits and heritage lots

The Village of Lake Bluff Joint Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals opened a public hearing March 19 on a draft update to the village's comprehensive land use plan and continued the hearing to April 16 to allow additional public comment and revisions.

The hearing featured a presentation by Teska and Associates followed by public comment and an extended commissioner discussion that focused on housing terminology and objectives, recommended building heights in the Central Business District (CBD), preservation of small "heritage" lots, and various map- and design-related details.

The draft plan was presented by Teska consultants Andrew and Edgar, who described the document as a policy framework that does not change zoning but informs the village's priorities for the next 20 years. "A plan is a policy document. The plan and the village's adoption of the plan does not change anybody's zoning," Andrew said while summarizing the plan's purpose, implementation pathways and use for grant applications.

Members of the public raised multiple substantive concerns. Peter White of 400 E. Sheridan criticized the draft's interchangeable use of "missing middle" and "affordable housing," noting that "I noted 24 mentions of citations of affordable housing. And 24 citations or mentions of missing middle housing or middle housing. In all the instances, those 2 phrases are being used synonymously." He asked the commission to use the legally defined term "affordable housing" consistently and asked staff to provide economic modeling showing fiscal impacts (tax revenue vs. school costs) of new housing scenarios; White also supplied back-of-envelope calculations during the hearing estimating the price points and potential student enrollment impacts if 138 new units were built.

Commissioners and staff replied that the village has a…