The developers who want to build a five-story, 219-unit apartment complex in the middle of Geneva were told by the Plan Commission on Thursday night that they faced a “big hurdle” in convincing city leaders it was the right move.
But both parties agreed to continue to meet in hopes that the developers, who own the land bordered by State, Seventh, Peyton and Richards streets, can revise their proposal to something more palatable to the community.
In front of a packed meeting room of more than 150 residents, commissioners said the proposal looked like a “monolithic” building that did not fit in with downtown Geneva.
“We do feel the need for high-density housing, but this far exceeds what we had in mind,” said Dave Rogers, the chair of the city’s Plan Commission, the first unit of government a development must face before moving on to the full City Council.
Darren Sloniger, president of Marquette Companies, a developer that specializes in large, multi-unit projects, said he never wanted a battle. They were upfront from the beginning that they would need a minimum of 200 units to satisfy the investors needed for the project, he said.
Sloniger emphasized that city staff invited Marquette to examine the site for possible development.
At the time, Cetron, a dilapidated factory that had been vacant for years, was on the site, which is surrounded by older, single-family homes. The Geneva Library Board had expressed interest in the site for a new library but later withdrew from the contract to purchase.
In 2014, Marquette went before the City Council to gauge its interest for a large 200-unit development. At the meeting, aldermen expressed support for the idea of density, noting that the city’s strategic plans call for more downtown density and that apartments and retail at that site would draw development west on State Street. But aldermen also expressed reservations about the proposal’s scale.
After that meeting, Marquette closed on the property and paid to tear down the factory.
“We came here in good faith. … We’ve spent a lot of money in good faith,” Sloniger said Thursday. “We’re not the bad guy. We’re not here to cram it down your throat.”
City staff has cautioned the developers that there would likely be community outcry to a development this size, said Dave DeGroot, the city’s community development director.
DeGroot said Thursday he did not know which city staff member made the initial overture to Marquette. DeGroot replaced Dick Untch as the city’s community development director when Untch retired in January 2015.
After the Plan Commission first convened about the proposal in December, residents mobilized. Hundreds of signs in opposition are spread throughout town, and the group’s Facebook page sees daily traffic. The crowd was standing room only Thursday night, the result of weeks of buzz.
There seemed to be consensus among those who spoke against the plan that the old factory site does need to be developed. But many residents had issues with the scale, arguing that five stories among older, single-family homes would dwarf the neighborhood.
Opponents to the plan ranged from families who have lived downtown for decades who now wonder what they will see out their windows to relative newcomers who expressed worry that what drew them to Geneva — a quaint town they said doesn’t feel like Naperville or Schaumburg — would be lost with a five-story apartment building in the middle of town.
“Let’s not lose sight of the nature of our city,” said Margaret Johnston, a resident of Richards Street for 43 years.
The Plan Commission will reconvene March 10. City leaders said they will announce a new venue to better accommodate the large crowds.
Alexa Aguilar is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
