Published December 21, 2006
Many say plan is too much for Hinsdale
Residents think The
Hinsdale Club is too big, will bring too much traffic to
town
By
Pamela Lannom
plannom@thehinsdalean.com
The developers see The Hinsdale Club as a bold step in
redeveloping Ogden Avenue. Some residents see it as a
horrific departure from the village’s character and
charm.
In the first hour of a 3 1/2 hour public hearing Dec. 13 before the
Hinsdale Plan Commission, developers presented their
plans for the 20-acre site and touted the proposal’s
benefits. They cited tax revenues of $2.41 million a
year to the two school districts and $584,000 a year to
the village.
“These clearly are very significant numbers both to the village and
to the school districts,” said Bruce Goldsmith, attorney
for Foxford LLC of Hinsdale.
He said the developers had spent “substantial” time talking to the
village and neighbors about the proposal and suggested
that the only way to spur redevelopment along Ogden
Avenue is with construction of a project like The
Hinsdale Club.
“Basically, we’re looking at a project that’s designed to provide
the stimulus for redevelopment in the corridor,”
Goldsmith said.
The developers are presenting the proposal as a planned unit
development and seeking 13 zoning waivers. The waivers
are for building spacing; Ogden Avenue setback;
residential use in an 0-3 office district;
retail/restaurant use in an 0-3 district; drug store
with drive through window; drug store in excess of 1,000
square feet; floor-area ratio of great than .35/.25;
mixed use in a 0-3 district; parking ratios for all
residential uses and hotel/banquet use; loading space
locations; park land donation; building height for
condominium buildings and hotel; and front, side and
rear yard setbacks on condo buildings, mixed use
buildings, hotel and drug store.
After Goldsmith spoke, public comment began. Thirteen of the
residents who spoke live in Graue Mill, and none were
happy with the proposal as presented. Most of their
complaints had to do with the project’s size and the
traffic it would generate.
Paula Lucking, who lives in the 500 block of North Oak Street,
worried about traffic and the safety of children living
on her street. She also wondered what would happen when
she wants to sell her house.
“Are you telling me that that is not going to change the entire
tenor of our neighborhood feel and property values?” she
asked the developer.
Robert Neiman of Garfield Street said people move to Hinsdale to
get away from projects like The Hinsdale Club.
“This development and anything resembling it is the polar opposite
of what the village of Hinsdale has told you they want
in their backyard,” he said.
Nineteen people spoke for about an hour and 15 minutes. After a
short break, Goldsmith and other consultants were
allowed to respond to residents’ comments. An hour
later, commission Chairman Laura La Placa closed the
public hearing and asked commissioners for their
reactions. Many said they didn’t know quite how to
respond.
“Something of this magnitude really needs to go before the
village,” Commissioner Jeff Stewart said, suggesting
that all residents’ should be asked their opinion. “I
don’t know if we even have any referendum procedures,”
he added.
Commissioner Neale Byrnes said he wanted input from the village
board.
“As we go down further, I think the town has to do something — I
don’t know, hire consultants? — to really adequately
judge this. I think this goes beyond my expertise.”
La Placa said the commission couldn’t even offer direction on what
to fix to make the plans more palatable.
“I think it’s so off the mark that that’s not really where we are
yet,” she said. “I think you’re going to have to take
our sentiment and go back and come up with something
else.”
The developers were not happy with that response.
“We spent an enormous amount of time, effort and money coming up
with this plan,” Foxford President Peter Brennan told
commissioners. “As far as this commission is concerned,
we need specific direction. I just can’t go back to the
drawing board. It’s just not feasible.”
Commissioners agreed to continue their deliberations until January.
La Placa said she would talk to the village president and village
attorney to determine what the commission’s next step
should be.
Brennan said Tuesday it cost about $500,000 to put together the
proposal. If he can’t build The Hinsdale Club, he will
return to the company’s original plans to sell off the
individual buildings in the Hinsdale Office Park.
“We were actually in the process of selling off the individual
buildings when we realized that the village was
interested in this property as a potential redevelopment
site,” Brennan said. “That was really the stimulus for
the plan.”
Plan details
Foxford’s $250 million
plan for The Hinsdale Club on almost 20 acres north of
Ogden Avenue between Salt Creek Lane and Elm Street
includes the following:
• two, three-story mixed used buildings, each
with 10,000 square feet of retail space, 20 condos or
lofts (averaging 1,300 square feet) and 34 garage
parking spaces (below ground)
• one 10-story and one 12-story condo building
with 121 units each (averaging 1,400 to 1,500 square
feet) and 492 garage parking spaces for both buildings
(one level below ground)
• one 12-story condo building with 149 unites
(averaging 1,400 square feet) with 211 garage parking
spaces (one level below ground)
• condos would have an average price of $700,000,
with the penthouses costing more than $1 million
• a 12-story hotel with 180 units, a two-story
banquet facility and a 275-space parking garage
• 15,000-square-foot drug store or other retail
with 70 parking spaces
• 2.5-acre park near the banks of Salt
Creek
Appearance
Developer
“We are hoping to bring a project that you can be proud of that
shows the same attention to detail and concern that you
have for your own community.” — Bruce Goldsmith, Foxford
attorney
Residents
“What it’s going to be like for those of us driving by every day is
the Bronx.” — Paula Lucking, Oak Street
Plan
commission
“I’ve got to say I’m extremely disappointed in the architecture.
(The buildings) look like something from Orlando, not
something that belongs in Hinsdale.” — Dennis Parsons
Scale
Developer
The proposal is compatible with surrounding properties: B-3
business to the south, O-3 office to the east, R-5
residential to the north (Graue Mill) and R-4
residential to the northeast (Spinning Wheel
apartments). — Bruce Goldsmith
Residents
“I submit the scale of this property is totally at odds with the
views of the vast majority of participants of the
strategic planning process.” — Ralph Mueller, Graue Mill
Plan
commission
“It looks like something you would see down in Dearborn Park in the
city. While that’s lovely in the city, this isn’t the
right place for it. If it’s going to be the gateway to
the village, it should look like what we are.” — Lisa
Moore
Need
Developer
“We have done enough research that we’re confident there’s a market
for this.” — Bruce Goldsmith
Residents
“The hotel would be used only minimally by Hinsdale residents. What
it will do is bring transients from (Interstate) 294.” —
Janet Moes, Graue Mill
Plan
commissioners
“You’re single-handedly taking care of empty-nester housing in the
village. I’m not sure there’s that many empty-nesters in
Hinsdale.” — Laura La Placa
Traffic
Developer
“We feel very confident our counts are accurate and representative
of what’s going on in the area. There is an existing use
on site and it’s generating traffic. We’re not coming
into a green field.” — Lou Aboona, traffic consultant
Residents
“How can three times as many cars only produce 2 percent more
traffic?” — John Donaker, Graue Mill
Plan
commission
“My comfort level on the traffic study is not great, and if it is
statistically valid, I think there needs to be some more
work done to bring up the comfort level from what it is
now.” — Donna Flynn
Variations
Developer
“This type of project is not really addressed other than by using
the benefits of a planned development.” — Bruce
Goldsmith
Residents
“We who live in north Hinsdale don’t want this kind of structure
that is double the 60-foot height limitation that you
have right now.” — Larry Klinger, Graue Mill
Plan
commission
“We have a code and we have a code for a reason, not so people can
come in and say “I want to rewrite it’ and I think
that’s what you’ve really done here.” — Laura La Placa
