Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves Island Construction map amendment and variances over neighbor objections, 13–1
Summary
The Elmhurst City Council approved map amendments and multiple variances for the Island Construction townhouse project at several Northwest Avenue and West 3rd Street parcels despite an adjacent homeowner's formal objection and a single 'no' vote citing large variances.
The Elmhurst City Council voted 13–1 on March 2 to approve map amendments and requested variances for the Island Construction project affecting properties commonly described as 241 Northwest Avenue, 245 Northwest Avenue, 503 West 3rd Street and 240 Northwest Avenue.
The council considered a report from the Development Planning & Zoning Committee recommending approval. Alderman Jensen summarized the committee’s review and said the map amendment passed the zoning commission unanimously while variances were supported 5–1 at the commission level. He noted some variances were substantial and indicated he had examined the case closely.
Adjacent property owner Corey Christmas spoke during public forum to repeat a formal objection filed in January and a later protest letter. Christmas said the proposed five townhomes on roughly 0.3 acres would intrude on backyard privacy, create light and noise impacts, and result in an unattractive, overcrowded appearance; he urged denial or, if approved, binding mitigation conditions including the planting of 15‑foot pines, low‑light fixtures and protections for trash collection and screening. “I expect that privacy and comfort to be maintained by the city council in reviewing a solution like this for a new project,” Christmas said.
During debate, one alderman said the variances included figures such as a 75% variance and a 54% variance and that density calculations were atypical; that member signaled a ‘no’ vote for those reasons. The full council then approved the committee’s recommendation by roll call: 13 votes in favor and 1 opposed (Alderman Herby recorded the lone no). The ordinance directing the city attorney to prepare documents for council approval was adopted per the committee recommendation.
Council members acknowledged the public comment and said the zoning record includes the committee and commission deliberations; some members urged follow-up with staff on design and mitigation details during permit and construction review phases. The action was procedural authorization of the amendments and variances; specific permit conditions and construction plans remain subject to later administrative review.
The council moved on to other business after the vote; no additional binding mitigation conditions were adopted on the council floor at the March 2 meeting.
