Elgin council approves rezoning and planned‑development for 890 Gulf Boulevard after hours of resident opposition

After more than two hours of public comment and a lengthy staff and applicant presentation, the Elgin City Council on Jan. 14 approved, by a 6‑3 vote, a rezoning and planned‑development application for a 34‑acre parcel at 890 Gulf Boulevard that would allow an 86,000‑square‑foot temple, 536 parking spaces and 33 townhomes with roughly six acres of private open space.

Community development staff and the applicant described major reductions from an earlier plan: the temple footprint was reduced from about 231,000 square feet to 86,000 (a 63% cut), an originally proposed four‑story, 81‑unit multifamily building was removed, and parking was cut from 1,284 to 536 spaces. The applicant also increased setbacks, widened an internal private road and removed a proposed continuous 6‑foot fence, staff said.

Residents who testified — more than two dozen during the regular…