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Committee advances conditional-use plan to convert 1856 Heard House into 10 apartments amid neighborhood parking concerns
Summary
The committee moved forward a conditional-use plan to convert the landmarked Heard House at 429 West Downer Place into 10 market-rate apartments; staff reduced units from the developer’s earlier proposal, allowed a 25,500 sq ft lot minimum and 43% lot coverage, and left parking to 1.5 spaces/unit with a zoning-administrator trigger to add spaces if needed.
The Building, Zoning & Economic Development Committee on April 23 recommended advancing an ordinance to establish a conditional-use plan and approve a development plan for the historic Heard House at 429 West Downer Place, allowing conversion to 10 residential units.
Senior planner Jill Morgan said the property is locally landmarked and was built in 1856 for pharmacist David Heard; as a landmark structure, any exterior changes will require Preservation Commission approval. The petitioner seeks a conditional-use plan to allow adaptive reuse as 10 apartments (four one-bedroom units and six studios), a reduced minimum lot size (25,500 square feet vs. the underlying 30,000-square-foot requirement) and a slight increase in lot coverage from 40% to 43%.
Staff said they worked with the developer to reduce the number of units from the original proposal and to preserve historic exterior elements including a staircase and much of the woodwork. The plan includes 16 parking spaces on site (roughly 1.5 spaces per unit), and contains a provision that the owner must install additional spaces to meet a standard of two spaces per unit if the zoning administrator later determines parking is insufficient.
Aldermen raised several concerns about density and neighborhood fit. Alderman Mike Seville said he appreciated the developer’s reputation but worried the 10 units could reinforce mid‑century up‑zoning patterns; aldermen also pressed staff on what would trigger a requirement to add parking. Morgan and planning director Ed Seeben said they deliberately left the trigger language flexible, noting that public complaints to the city or alderman could prompt zoning-administrator action, and that staff and the developer agreed assigned parking spaces were part of the plan.
Developer Fernando Barrera said rents will be market rate, with studios around $1,000 and one-bedrooms about $1,100–$1,200, and said preserving historic features increased rehabilitation costs.
The committee voted to move the ordinance forward; the transcript records a 4–1 committee vote with Alderman Seville casting the lone no.
