Rebuttal Editorial on Walker Apartment Block Building Heights

Letter to the editor by Emmett Bonfield.

Mr. Freve, the current Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Chairman and a real estate professional took an unfair swipe at the Citizens for Clarendon Hills (C4CH) group after C4CH exposed the ZBA for mutilation of the Downtown Master Plan (DTMP) and ignoring the wishes of the voters (for a second time). Building height and about 10 other variances were granted to a developer without a financial analysis of what taxpayers were getting in return. It would be unfair to exclude other ZBA members and especially real estate broker Jan Morel who loudly supported the apartment block and as well as just about anything ever presented. The ZBA approved a massive 50 foot, 4 story apartment block, with no retail on the ground floor as envisioned. This is 10 feet higher that the ordinance allowed and about 20 feet higher than the approved referendum called for.

I support the sole dissenter, ZBA member Jim Sheer, who bravely stood up against the wave of hypocrisy inside the Village staff and ZBA leadership. I applaud Jim Sheer for looking out for residents on the DTMP and respecting the voter referendum while the rest of the ZBA forgot the voter’s wishes.

The source of my discontent and wrongful spin by the ZBA Chair is due to violation of the building height restrictions (40 feet). How could they allow a 4 story 50 foot building? Height restrictions are easily converted to a number of stories (i.e. 3 stories is the maximum allowed for a 40 foot restriction). Why did Mr. Fevre and real estate broker Jan Morel ignore this and recommend a 4 story building of 50 foot height with no “retail” on the ground floor? They knew the details of the DTMP has a 40 feet (or 3 story) limit and that a referendum was just passed to for a 2 story maximum height. They know we need more retail to attract more foot traffic.

Is this project really just a section 8 housing project with the very small apartments?

I respectfully ask that the Village Board stop this project and allow only 3 stories and require retail on the first floor.

Emmett Bonfield
Property Owner