A proposed condominium development in Wheeling that has raised concerns about density, flooding and traffic was approved Monday night by the Village Board.
In a sometimes contentious board meeting marked by personal jabs and questions about ethics, the board voted 3-2, with one abstention, to give the green light to Park Point of Wheeling.
Last month, the Plan Commission recommended approval of the 88-unit, upscale condominium community proposed for the southeast corner of McHenry Road and Lexington Drive.
Monday’s vote came over the objections of village staff members who had raised concerns over the project’s density.
“It’s just too much in too small a package,” Village Manager Craig Anderson said earlier Monday. “When this is all said and done, are you going to be happy with what’s out there? The mass of it?”
Developer Mark Smith of Wheeling-based Smith and Sons Inc., initially proposed three four-story buildings over basement parking for a total of 96 units. He trimmed the plan to 88 units and dropped the height of the third building to three stories in response to concerns raised by plan commissioners.
The complex would be built as a planned-unit development, a distinction granted for sites that are harder to develop.
Several Wheeling residents spoke in favor of the project Monday night.
“All we want to do is better our community, and here you have someone who lives here who wants to,” said resident Sandee Segal.
Anderson said that while Park Point certainly qualifies as a planned-unit development, he does not understand why the developer must exceed the maximum 60 units allowed for the site.
“We’re not sure the petitioner has shown why he needs these variations,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s concerns about density echo those of some residents living in the Hollywood Ridge subdivision just south of the proposed site, especially those whose back yards abut Buffalo Creek.
Residents argue the project’s density would exacerbate creek flooding and speed bank erosion.
“There’s too many unanswered questions here, ladies and gentlemen,” said resident Dave Klopfeisch.
Smith’s response to flooding concerns includes a proposal for a 1.25-acre retention pond that would release storm water slowly into the creek.
Plan Commission Chairman Dean Argiris has said village engineers assured him the retention-pond plan would work.
Even so, Anderson challenges whether a project so dense is right for that location.
“I think they can make it work the way it’s proposed, but I’m still not sure that makes it the best plan,” Anderson said.
Smith has said the project would not be economically feasible with fewer than the 88 units.
