Plan commission recommends rezoning, concept plan for 3700 Dundee Road with condition on Anjou access

The Northbrook Plan Commission voted to forward a draft resolution recommending a comprehensive plan map amendment, rezoning to R‑6, and concept plan approval for a 53‑unit, age‑restricted townhome development at 3700 Dundee Road (the former Our Lady of the Brooks property). The motion to approve the draft resolution included a condition that the petitioner continue discussions with village staff and neighborhood representatives regarding restricted vehicular access at Anjou Drive; the motion passed on a roll‑call vote in favor.

The application, filed by Venture 1 OLB LLC as contract purchaser, proposes an age‑restricted (55+) townhome community called The Reserve at The Brook consisting of 53 units arranged in 19 two‑ and three‑unit buildings on an 11.76‑acre parcel. The petitioner said 15 percent of units (8 units) will be sold as on‑site affordable homes to satisfy the village affordable‑housing requirement; the applicant requested an exception to locate the eight affordable units in three buildings rather than dispersed one‑per‑building across the site.

Katrina McGuire, land‑use counsel for the petitioner, presented the development team and described the request as responsive to prior Board feedback and to surrounding land uses; she said the institutional designation on the comprehensive plan reflected the former church use and that the proposed R‑6 zoning would be consistent with nearby multifamily transitions. Project partners who spoke at the podium included Rob Goetz of Pulte Group, Jeff Torrens of Dixon Design Studio (land planner/architect), Louay Abuna of KLOA (traffic engineer), Mike Anderson of Hager Engineering (civil), and Sharon Dixon (landscape architecture).

The proposed site plan calls for 19 buildings, each two stories and not to exceed about 33 feet in height; unit sizes were presented in the range of roughly 3,000 to 3,300 square feet with a first‑floor primary bedroom in each unit. Each unit would have an attached two‑car garage plus space in the driveway for two additional vehicles; the petitioner said total parking would exceed code by roughly 11 guest spaces and reported a total of about 250 parking spaces (approximately 4.72 spaces per unit). The landscape plan retains perimeter trees, adds additional buffers, and provides three open/amenity spaces. Stormwater design retains and significantly enlarges an existing detention area; the civil engineer said proposed ponds will meet village and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District requirements and increase storage volume compared to existing conditions.

Traffic analysis prepared by KLOA found weekday peak‑period operations at study intersections would continue to operate within acceptable levels and estimated that an age‑restricted product will generate roughly 30 percent fewer peak trips than a typical residential development. The petitioner proposes full access to Dundee Road at an existing curb cut with a stop sign for the driveway; a second full access to the north would connect to Anjou Drive toward Dauphine and Delphine. The applicant sought relief from subdivision standards to reduce some right‑of‑way widths, allow sidewalks on only one side of certain internal roads, and reduce certain minimum radii; the petitioner said pavement width would be built to village standards even where right‑of‑way is reduced.

Public comment at the hearing focused on neighborhood concerns about allowing general vehicular access from the new development onto Anjou Drive and the potential for cut‑through traffic to affect Charlemagne, Dauphine and nearby school walking routes. Several residents urged a permanent gate or restrict vehicular access to Anjou; others asked for assurances about stormwater/drainage impacts and the project’s traffic effects. Multiple speakers said they supported the development generally but asked the Village to limit through‑traffic into existing neighborhoods. The petitioner said it is "agnostic" on the gate question and that emergency access considerations and village staff preferences will factor into a final configuration. Katrina McGuire said the development team and SIPA (village housing authority staff) had discussed the affordable‑unit clustering question; the team argued the eight affordable units are distributed across three buildings and are comparable in design and finish to market‑rate units, while SIPA took the position that the units were not sufficiently dispersed to meet that office’s stricter reading.

At the end of the hearing the commission voted to approve the draft resolution prepared by staff (docket PCD24133700) recommending comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning to R‑6, special permit for concept plan development, tentative plat approval, and related subdivision variations, subject to continued conversations and agreement on restricted access at Anjou Drive. Deputy Director Kolstad said the recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of Trustees for final action; staff indicated March hearings are possible.