City Council Approves 4-Story, 20-Unit 'Park Sheridan' Building

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The City Council on Monday gave final approval to a proposal for a four-story residential development at the corner of Sheridan Road and Park Avenue in Highland Park.

Plans for the Park Sheridan project call for the demolition of the two existing commercial buildings at 1950 and 1964 Sheridan Road and their replacement with 20 residential units, two of which would be designated as affordable housing.

Fulton Developers, the local firm behind the proposal, is the same company that built Laurel Court Town Homes in 2008, Laurel Apartments in 2016 and Laurel Residences in 2019. It is currently completing a project at 1560 Oakwood Avenue called One Highland Park, according to the developer.

Mark Muller, president of Fulton Developers, said the site of the proposed development — 0.95-acres at the northwest corner of Sheridan and Park — is located in zoning district that permits a five-story building with 62 market-rate units.

But the plan calls for significantly fewer to allow for more open space, more natural light in the units and more outdoor living spaces, Muller said in a project narrative presented to the Plan and Design Commission in May.

"Just like with the previous developments that we have done in Highland Park," Muller said, "we are confident that the proposed project at Sheridan Road and Park Avenue will satisfy the market’s demand for this type of condominiums, bring more residents to our downtown as well as beautify the neighborhood and help raise property values."

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The replacement of the two buildings and parking lot with a single building will reduce the amount of impervious surface by about 10,000 square feet, replacing pavement with trees, landscaping and a park, the developer said.

The project was reviewed by the Plan and Design Commission at three meetings this spring, concluding with a 6-0 vote on May 17 to recommend its approval. Last month, the City Council voted unanimously to direct city staff to draft the approval documents on Monday's agenda.

Highland Park's inclusionary housing ordinance calls for the project to include 3.4 affordable units, 1.4 more than is included in the proposal. In exchange, the developer will pay a $200,000 payment-in-lieu fee, according to Muller.

Public benefits included as conditions of the development's approval include a $7,500 contribution to the downtown streetscape amenity project, the construction and maintenance of a 5-foot-by-5-foot concrete pad to display art installations, placement of a 12-foot high red bronze sculpture by Mac Whitney currently owned by the Art Center of Highland Park, the addition of curb and gutter between the property and the alleyway, sidewalk replacement and five guest parking spaces.

Councilmembers on Monday voted on resolutions approving a development agreement and final subdivision of the development site and ordinances granting a planned development special use permit and an ordinance making the alley between St. Johns Avenue and Sheridan Road a one-way southbound road between Park Avenue and Elm Place.

The building's two-bedroom market rate units will range between 2,180 and 2,846 square feet, its three-bedroom units will be 2,982 to 4,550 square feet, while its two affordable units will be 1,135 and 1,169 square feet, according to a market study conducted for the development in February.

According to the developer, the asking price of the market rate units will range from $1.2 million to $3.8 million for the larger penthouse units.