Opponents of a planned development of the controversial Bethany site resumed their battle against the proposed complex during a recent Lombard Plan Commission meeting.
With the felling of trees and razing of buildings well under way on the 51 acres being considered for annexation into Lombard, the village’s Plan Commission began its efforts to weigh the merits of the developer’s proposal. It is a wide-ranging plan, which calls for condominiums, restaurants, retail stores and hotel and office space.
About 60 area residents attended the meeting to oppose the plan.
For months, they have been fighting plans by Chicago-based Shaw Co. for Fountain Square.
The developmenth is to be built on the parcel that was home to the Bethany Theological Seminary northwest of Butterfield and Meyers Roads.
Critics include residents in the nearby Oak Brook Towers condominium complex, members of the community group Help Our Environment Inc. and leaders of nearby Yorktown Mall.
Cathy McErlean has lived in nearby Oak Brook Towers for 25 years. She said before the hearing that crowding of the area, which already has plenty of activity, was her major concern.
“I’m worried about excess traffic,” she said. “We have it already, and it’s going to be a lot worse. And this is spoiling the beautiful look of what we’ve had all these years.”
Kally Rembos said the demolition on the site has scarred her neighborhood, with an effect that is apparent to residents.
“It looks like a war zone to me, with the buildings that are half-knocked down,” she said. “It reminds me of an area that has been bombed out.”
Barbara Richards, president of Help Our Environment, said before the meeting that the restaurant and retail portions of the development would be unsightly and bring more traffic to the already busy area. She said she is not alone in her view.
“Despite what some people believe, there are still those of us out there who oppose this,” said Richards, whose organization expects to make a presentation at a follow-up meeting Monday. “There is no way it won’t have a major impact on surrounding properties.”
Shaw Co., under contract to buy the property from the seminary, is proposing that Lombard annex the property under a flexible zoning scheme with two planned-development sections.
The developer would like to see one part of the property zoned to allow for four residential buildings of four to five stories.
Additional land on the site would be developed as a planned development with a business designation. The unincorporated parcel is zoned for office-research use in DuPage County.
According to Shaw Co. plans, the site could feature up to six condominium buildings, four to six restaurants, two retail structures and a 150-room hotel.
Lombard staff members recommended that the Plan Commission forward the proposal to the Village Board, but it will take at least one more meeting for the subcommittee to review the request.
David Hulseberg, director of community development for Lombard, said Shaw Co. has promised to limit the amount of retail space to 240,000 square feet.
He also said so-called building footprints would be limited to 65,000 square feet, in an effort to prevent the development from resembling a strip center. This is seen as very important to Lombard residents.
“It is a new approach to set up standards and guidelines for mixed-use development,” Hulseberg said. “You have to have confidence in the developer and the community on this because it is truly a partnership.”
Hulseberg said there was no flood of Plan Commission questions in the weeks leading up to the recent meeting. But he said at least three members of the panel traveled to a Shaw Co. development in Arlington Heights to look at condominiums that are similar to what the company is proposing.
In a written objection, representatives of Yorktown Mall said Fountain Square could deal a fatal competitive blow to their complex.
Hulseberg responded that the village will consider Fountain Square on its own merit and not enter into “protectionist” zoning practices to keep Yorktown safe.
Denny Stine, president of Shaw Co., said demolition of the chapel, dormitories and other buildings on the Bethany site was progressing and would be finished in the next few weeks. The company is handling more requests for the site than it has space available, he said, and Shaw Co. is confident it can create a schedule that will have some buildings on the property occupied by next fall.
Also included in the plans is a proposal for Shaw Co. to seek air rights over two storm-water retention ponds at the southeast corner of the property. Such rights would allow restaurants on the site to build decks over the water for outdoor seating.
