Politics & Government

Third Public Hearing Held on Addison Parking Deck

The Elmhurst Planning and Zoning Commission will begin deliberations on the six-story parking deck during a Feb. 27 meeting, according to Suburban Life Publications.

A third public hearing was held Thursday for the six-story Addison Parking Deck before the Planning and Zoning Commission with several residents voicing support and opposition to the controversial parking garage, according to Suburban Life Publications. 

Tamara Brenner, of Elmurst, said the parking garage could limit development in the area in the future and said a six-story building was not needed in the downtown area and also was not a part of the city of Elmhurst's comprehensive downtown plan, which calls for mainly two- to four-story buildings, according to Suburban Life Publications. 

Those in support of the parking garage said the parking deck could bring in — and keep — businesses in Elmhurst, according to the article. 

City of Elmhurst officials are basing the need for the six-story structure, which would include 690 parking spaces, on a study it commissioned last fall and was conducted by consultant Gewalt Hamilton Associates. 

The study concluded there was a future need for "several hundred more parking spaces" downtown in part because of "the potential for future development of eight downtown sites," according to the Chicago Tribune. 

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The Elmhurst Planning and Zoning Commission will begin deliberations on the parking deck during a Feb. 27 meeting, according to Suburban Life Publications. 

A Jan. 24 Patch.com article reported the city is asking the commission to consider the following:

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  • A conditional use permit to allow the building height to be 65 feet as opposed to 45 feet currently allowed without a hearing
  • Permission to build lot-line-to-lot-line, foregoing the current requirement for 25-foot setback on the front and sides of the property and 15 feet in the rear
  • Elimination of the requirement for a loading dock in the rear of the property

In June, the Zoning Commission rejected a proposal from Addison Corridor LLC for a six-story structure on the property that would have included parking, office space and retail; the new plan omits the office space. Addison LLC still is the developer, but the city is now taking the lead on what the structure will be.

The project has been in the planning stages since 2009, when the original public/private partnership agreement for a four-story parking garage was signed with Addison LLC.


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