Proponents say a proposed 81-unit apartment building in Olympia Fields will draw in new residents and diversify the village’s tax base, but the project faces criticism from some residents concerned about the number of zoning variances needed for the project.
The proposed Olympia Place Residences would be in an office park at the southeast corner of Park Drive and Vollmer Road, which separates Olympia Fields from neighboring Flossmoor.
The project will be undertaken by developer Vollmer Properties, according to an infosheet provided by the village president’s office. It is planned to be a three-story development containing 45 one-bedroom apartments and 36 two-bedroom apartments, with units ranging from 780 to 1,243 square feet.
It will also contain a fitness center and community event space and parking space underneath the building, according to the infosheet.
Olympia Fields had a population of 4,718 as of the 2020 census, and is more than 70% Black. It is one of the most affluent and best-educated majority-Black municipalities in the country.
Olympia Fields has no traditional apartments now, and the development would make such units about 4-5% of the village housing stock, according to the infosheet.
The new development will increase property tax income for the village and bring potentially up to 150 new residents, benefiting the local economy, the infosheet said.
“This development is part of a long-standing redevelopment strategy that has been publicly discussed for more than eight years,” said Jennifer N’deye Walton, executive assistant to the village president, in an email. “The property is privately owned by a long-term stakeholder.”
The property is 3.03 acres, and will need to be rezoned to accommodate the development, according to a Planning and Zoning Commission agenda from March 10. The property is now vacant and zoned for office and research use.
Charles Durley, resident and president of the Arcadia Homeowners Association, said he believes there should be more opportunity for community input on the project.
“The biggest issue is the community was not informed. They had one call to the planning and zoning meeting, for the whole community,” said Durley. “The majority of the people that were there, it was probably 60 homeowners, and everyone to a tee disagreed with the changes to our ordinances and zoning.”
The requested variances include an increase in the maximum allowed building height from 35 feet to 47 feet, and a decrease in the number of required parking spaces from 2 to 1.5 per unit.
“Most people own two cars. So if you got two cars, and it’s 81 apartments, that’s going to equate to about 160 cars. That doesn’t include the visitors,” Durley said. “We’re concerned about where these cars are going to go. Are they going to be parked on the street?”
Durley said he was also concerned about increased demands on police and fire services.
The project will next go before the Village Board for approval. The next scheduled meeting is April 15, though an agenda is not yet available.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
