Lake Bluff approves zoning text change and final plan for four-unit condo at 570 Evanston Avenue

The Village Board of Trustees of Lake Bluff approved an amendment to Section 10-13-3 of the municipal code and granted final-plan approval, including zoning variations, for a four-unit condominium building at 570 Evanston Avenue on a voice vote Tuesday evening.

Tom Dobbins, the project's architect and a Lake Bluff resident, told the board the proposal has been before the PCZBA and the Architectural Board of Review multiple times and received unanimous recommendations to move forward. "We've been at this almost a year. We've been to 9 meetings," Dobbins said, noting changes made after advisory-board feedback and that the new comprehensive plan shows multifamily on the corner adjacent to the central business district.

The applicant, Block 3 LLC, is proposing a roughly 13,000-square-foot building containing two condominium units on the first floor and two on the second, a partial third floor providing access to rooftop decks, and an underground garage with eight parking spaces. Because the PMD standard in Lake Bluff sets a 30-foot maximum height and a two-story limit, the applicant requested variations to exceed the 30-foot height by approximately four feet and to allow a partial third story. The proposal also seeks modifications to PMD minimum lot-area requirements and a waiver to permit an eight-foot fence where applicable. The project package includes civil engineering drawings, a tree-preservation and replacement plan that the applicant said would preserve about 15 trees, and a plan to underground existing utility lines adjacent to the site.

Opposition and concerns from neighbors centered on zoning, scale, and precedent. "I am pro development and have been from the beginning. I am opposed to this project, not because it's in my backyard, but because it's violating our zoning protections," said Jean Mimi Mills, who lives adjacent to the Trombley parcel. Residents at the lectern questioned whether the comprehensive plan supports rezoning or relief for the four residential properties, whether the project would reduce property values, and whether adequate notice and community outreach had occurred. Several speakers said petitions circulated in recent days reflected confusion about the project being considered.

Supporters also spoke. Paul Mu, a former village trustee and current member of the business advisory ad hoc committee, described the proposal as "consistent with the village strategic and land planning uses" and urged the board to vote in favor. The architect said he had three serious buyers interested in the four units.

Village staff and trustees discussed the record of advisory-body votes, the comprehensive-land-use process that preceded the application, and procedural timing for placing items on the agenda. Staff said the PCZBA and ABR had reviewed the project multiple times and recommended approval, and the applicant emphasized the changes made to respond to board and public comment.

The board took two separate voice votes: first to amend the municipal code to permit PMD applications for specified R-4 lots contiguous with the CBD, and then to grant final plan approval and associated zoning variations and modifications for 570 Evanston Avenue. Both motions carried on voice votes; the record shows no roll-call vote or numerical tally recorded during the meeting. The president advised members of the public to direct follow-up questions to village staff in the next few days; trustees said there will be further opportunity for information between this first reading/approval and subsequent ministerial steps.

What the board approved in ordinance and final plan does not itself produce building permits; the applicant must still satisfy building-permit and construction requirements and any conditions attached to the approvals. Neighbors warned that the approval could set a local precedent for future requests to exceed existing R-4 limits, a concern several speakers said could expose the village to legal challenge. Those arguments featured prominently in public comment, but trustees and staff noted the project had been through the village's advisory review process and that the comprehensive plan includes this corner in a transitional/multifamily category.

The board's action amended the local PMD rules and granted site-specific variations and final plan approval for the proposed 4-unit building at 570 Evanston Avenue. The village packet and staff exhibits cited the applicant's requested changes (height, stories, PMD lot-area relief, and fence height) and included the advisory-board minutes that recommended approval.

The ordinance and approvals include conditions and technical submittals the applicant must satisfy prior to issuance of building permits; staff asked the public to forward questions to planning staff, who will provide follow-up materials. The board also noted that, while the comprehensive plan supports diversification of housing types in some locations, the comprehensive plan itself does not automatically remove or alter underlying zoning on individual properties.