Downtown Elmhurst Building To Be Torn Down: Proposal

ELMHURST, IL – A downtown Elmhurst building where a store closed nearly two years ago is set to be torn down, according to city records.

In January 2024, York Furrier closed at 107 N. York St., where it had been for decades. It is now vacant.

The proposal to demolish the building and replace it comes from Elmhurst-based Peerless Development. Sketches given to the city indicate the developer plans a three-story building in its place.

During a zoning board meeting last month, Joseph Patrick, director of development for Peerless, said the building is expected to have one tenant – medical offices for Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, according to a transcript.

Patch left an emailed message for comment with the company early Friday morning.

On Monday, the City Council plans to vote on a small zoning exception for the property.

Under the city's code, buildings must be constructed at the property line in this part of downtown. But the buildings in that area are all about 3 feet from the property line, meaning the city sidewalk is on private property.

In this case, Peerless wants to stick with the precedent of keeping the setback, so its building does not intrude on the sidewalk. Many of the buildings were built long before the city's zoning code, the developer said.

"We believe that our proposed design will actually better resemble the existing character of this neighborhood than it would if we were required to adhere to the letter of the zoning ordinance," the company said in its application.