La Grange board sends co‑working/special‑use request at 30 South LaGrange Road back to planning commission

The Village of La Grange Board of Trustees voted unanimously to send a proposal for a co‑working operation with adjacent retail at 30 South LaGrange Road back to the plan commission for additional review.

The applicant, a group doing business as Brick & Mortar, had applied for a special use permit, site plan approval and design‑review to operate a co‑working facility with a small retail window on the first floor. The plan commission previously recommended approval 6–1 with conditions requiring the retail area be stocked and staffed and that a single entity operate both co‑working and retail elements.

Trustees voiced concerns that the new proposal differed from the 2021 approval that allowed co‑working with retail in the C1 core only under limited circumstances, and that the proposed retail footprint and business structure (a tenant‑operated retail element rather than a single entity) risked undermining the downtown’s goal of sustaining first‑floor commercial activity. Trustee Peterson urged more detail about retail viability and public‑facing amenities, noting the applicant’s current presence mainly at farmers markets and asking whether the retail plan included public restrooms and staffing.

Andrew Nast, representing the applicant, said the retail partner (an açaí bowl vendor) has an established farmers‑market business at multiple markets and that the vendor’s walk‑up model and delivery during winter months would draw foot traffic. Nast described the co‑working model as a meeting‑and‑event hub with conference and huddle rooms and virtual‑office services (mailboxes), and said the operator would collaborate with local restaurants for events. “These are premium co‑working spaces with a significant amount of thought put into them from an aesthetic perspective,” Nast said.

Several trustees and the village attorney cautioned that competition in the marketplace is not a proper zoning factor; zoning decisions must focus on land‑use and consistency with code standards. Attorney Schuster reminded the board that co‑working by itself is not a permitted first‑floor use in the downtown core and that loss of the retail element would render the co‑working use noncompliant with the code unless replaced.

Trustee Peterson moved to remand the application to the plan commission for further deliberation and Trustee McGee seconded. The board first voted to amend the motion on the floor and then approved sending the matter back; both votes were unanimous.

The remand requires the plan commission to revisit the retail‑space conditions, consider whether the reduced retail footprint still meets the code’s intent for first‑floor commercial uses in the C1 core, and clarify enforcement mechanisms if retail obligations are not met.