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Developer seeks zoning change to repurpose Sterling Room into mixed-use units
Summary
Attorney Bob Gruhulik and JD Development principals presented a petition asking the Village Board to amend zoning rules to allow adaptive reuse of dilapidated buildings—using the Sterling Room as an example—and said the change would enable offices, indoor sports, B&Bs and multifamily housing. The board called it an initial public workshop and outlined next steps.
Attorney Bob Gruhulik told the Village Board that JD Development has petitioned to amend the zoning code to permit “adaptive reuse” of abandoned or dilapidated buildings across the village, citing the Sterling Room on Sterling Road as the first candidate.
“This is requested to give the developer ... some incentive to make the investment required to turn these buildings around,” Gruhulik said, noting adaptive-use examples such as an old restaurant and a former bowling alley that were repurposed into productive spaces. He asked the board to begin a review of the petition; he and developers Jeff Hart and Dan Coliani said this is the first of several public steps and that any approval would be followed by planning-board site-plan review to ensure parking, drainage, septic and traffic impacts are addressed.
Jeff Hart described the developer’s concept for the Sterling Room conversion as a mix of short‑term rental units and apartments with shared common space designed to fit the lakefront character. The board did not take a vote; Mayor Howie and Trustee Selye indicated the petition will go through the formal review process and that engineers and planners would evaluate parking and environmental impacts before any zoning amendment is adopted.
The presentation was framed as a workshop introduction rather than a request for immediate action. The board emphasized procedural next steps: referral to planning staff, formal public hearings as required by law, and subsequent site-plan review.
