Planning commission recommends approval of 17‑unit townhome amendment at 435 Benjamin Drive with conditions

The Vernon Hills Planning and Zoning Commission voted June 24 to recommend approval of a planned‑unit‑development amendment to Ordinance 2004‑43 that would allow construction of a 17‑unit rental townhome project at 435 Benjamin Drive.

Developer David Schwarz, representing SFP Properties, and the project attorney, Lawrence Freriedman, told the commission the proposal replaces an unbuilt portion of the River’s Edge PUD originally approved in 2004. Schwarz said the three buildings would be three‑bedroom, 2½‑bath rental townhomes with two‑car garages and about 19 guest slab parking spaces, and that the buildings would top out at 35 feet — substantially smaller than the previously approved five‑story condominium building.

The commission’s recommendation includes ten conditions the petitioner must satisfy before permits or occupancy, among them: recordation of a detailed easement agreement with River’s Edge Condominium Association; limiting parking to garages and striped surface stalls (no parking in front of garages); a developer management plan and long‑term stewardship plan to remove invasive species and restore native plants around the retention pond; grading revisions to meet compensatory storage requirements; completion of a letter of map revision before final certificate of occupancy; removal of the accessible parking stall unless an accessible route is provided; landscape plan revisions (add a canopy tree at a southwest parking peninsula, remove prairie dropseed from asphalt areas, and replace redpoint maple and lady ferns with more durable species); and easement language guaranteeing access to the proposed dog run and removal of one adjacent parking stall to create a safe pedestrian route.

"The land's got to develop," Freriedman told the commission, urging members to consider that the site already has a PUD authorizing a larger, taller development and that the petitioners’ plan is less intensive than what could be built under prior approvals.

Opponents told the commission the change would permanently alter a rare natural area and harm wildlife habitat and neighborhood character. "This property is a rare natural area surrounded by urban development," River’s Edge resident Carolyn Hanket said, adding that the parcel provides storm‑water benefits and quiet views for many units that face the open space. Hanket and other written commenters raised concerns about property values, increased traffic and the challenges of interacting with a rental property that will not be governed by the existing condominium association.

Other residents voiced support. Bruce Robbins, a River’s Edge owner and former HOA president, recalled previous larger proposals that were rejected and said the 17‑unit plan had broad support among long‑term owners. Merl Benjamin, current HOA president, said he had worked with the developer and favored the proposal.

Commissioner Hidner moved to make findings of fact and recommend approval; Commissioner Hendrick seconded. The roll call vote was: Hendrick — yes; Fluno — yes; Kiladar — yes; Nabbit — abstain (declared conflict: owns a unit for sale); Hidner — yes. Commissioners Cotton and Chairman Morris were absent. The motion passed with four yes, zero no, one abstention.

The commission also recommended waiver of preliminary plat requirements for the River’s Edge of Vernon Hills subdivision; that recommendation will be forwarded with the PUD items to the village board sitting as the committee of the whole for further discussion on July 7.

If the village board agrees with the commission’s recommendation, the recorded easement, revised landscape and grading plans and the required letter of map revision will be among the documents the village will require before building permits or a final certificate of occupancy are issued.

The commission spent substantial time on technical conditions — particularly the easement with the condominium association, pond restoration, landscaping substitutions, and the accessible parking question (staff said the proposed accessible stall served a path that is not accessible; the commission accepted staff’s recommendation to remove the stall unless an accessible route is provided). The commission also required that a recorded easement explicitly guarantee HOA access to the dog run and that one parking stall be removed to provide safe pedestrian access to that amenity.

The committee’s recommendation concludes the planning commission’s formal review; the next procedural step is the village board (committee of the whole) discussion on July 7, per staff. The planning commission record and the staff‑recommended conditions will be transmitted with the recommendation.