Published April 19, 2007
Hinsdale Club earns unanimous approval
By
Pamela Lannom
plannom@thehinsdalean.com
After months of hearings and
multiple revisions to the plan, the Hinsdale Village
Board unanimously approved The Hinsdale Club planned
unit development Tuesday.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Peter Brennan, president of developer Foxford
LLC. “I’m looking forward to working with the village
and starting the development. It really was a dramatic
shift from where we started to where we ended up.”
The plan for almost 20 acres north of Ogden Avenue was approved 6-1
by the Hinsdale Plan Commission March 14 and recommended
4-0 by the board’s zoning and public safety committee
meeting March 19. The five trustees present at Monday’s
meeting (Coleman Tuggle was absent) approved the plan
with minimal discussion.
Trustees did raise some concerns about the tenants that will occupy
the two mixed-use retail and residential buildings along
Ogden Avenue known as buildings D and E.
“There may be a single tenant that comes it, but it’s not going to
be a Home Depot,” Brennan said. “These buildings are not
designed for a big box. They’re 75 feet deep.”
Brennan said he’d like to open the field to as many retail outlets
as possible and to restaurants.
“Our marketing plan will be to market to restaurateurs, hoping for
two in D and E and one in the hotel,” he said.
Trustee Laura Johnson suggested including some permanent signs that
would direct The Hinsdale Club’s shoppers and diners to
the village’s central business district.
“We’re trying to draw on the character that’s been created in
Hinsdale. I think it’s a very good idea, something we
could look at in the future,” Brennan said.
Johnson also suggested the development agreement, which still needs
to be negotiated and approved, prevent pharmacies from
being part of the project.
“We would not want the gateway into our village to be a Walgreens
or a CVS pharmacy,” she said.
Other trustees disagreed, saying they think most people’s
objections to such pharmacies have to do with
architecture, not use.
“I certainly would not be in favor of putting that restriction in
the development agreement,” Trustee Jean Follett said.
One new announcement was that the village is working to take
possession of Road D, which Graue Mill residents use to
exit their campus and access York Road or Ogden. Many
residents have said they’re worried about traffic from
the new development traveling on the private road. The
village also plans to take over Salt Creek Lane, village
manager Dave Cook said.
Trustee Vic Orler thanked plan commissioners for their hard work
and Foxford for bringing empty-nester housing, retail
stores, restaurants and a hotel to the village, all of
which were deemed desirable in the resident survey.
Trustee Cindy Williams praised Foxford for the changes made to the
plan.
“You’ve come a long way,” she said. “I very much appreciate that.”
Plan details
The Hinsdale Club
development will include the following:
• a 6/7-story condo building with 54 units
wrapped in 14 townhouse units at the north end of the
site
• a 7/8-story condo building with 60 units
wrapped in 10 townhouse units and six work-live units on
the west side of the site that allow for professional
work space below with living space above
• a 7/8-story condo building with 58 units
wrapped in 11 townhouse units and eight work-live units
in the middle of the site
• a nine-story hotel with 180 rooms east of Salt
Creek Lane toward the rear of the site
• a three-story mixed-use building at Elm Street
and Ogden Avenue with 9,780 square feet of retail and
restaurant space and 20 condo units above
• a three-story mixed-use building along Ogden
with 17,600 square feet of retail and restaurant space
with 30 condo units above
• a three-story mixed-use building on Ogden east
of Salt Creek Lane with 22,700 square feet of
first-floor retail space, 12,780 square feet of
second-floor office space and 12,780 square feet of
third-floor office space.
