'Rebuttal to Spin by Will Freve ZBA Chairman Editorial of Feb. 26'

By Janice Cummings

The Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), Mr. Will Freve, made a whopper of a spin on the technical position Citizens for Clarendon Hills (C4CH) took against the massive Walker Apartment block he advocated for.

A developer, supported by Mr. Freve, is placing apartments on the first floor where the taxpayers and newly approved Downtown Master Plan (DTMP) should reasonably expect “retail type” activities. Mr. Freve states, “There is no requirement for retail in this district.”

While he does point out his loop hole, also known as the Planned Unit Development (PUD) loophole, I and 2/3rds of the voters opposed the use of the PUD per the recent referendum. This rotten loophole is clearly designed to eliminate retail or services (retail-type) on the first floor which we want to generate foot traffic and sales tax. The ordinance goes so far as to list out 34 permitted retail uses and 33 services uses (“retail type” activities) all of which support the other downtown merchants and sales tax generation. No clause approves apartments on the first floor. In fact, Mr. Freve conveniently forgets to mention that apartments are clearly prohibited on the first floor (sect 20.10.1.c).

The PUD is the loophole and the Village staff and ZBA must stop this development.Technically and morally, one would expect our public officials to comply with the voter referendums and honor the prohibitions (i.e. don’t use loopholes or spin). A volunteer should honor the 2/3rds of the voters who overwhelmingly said we should have 2 story buildings and NO Planned Unit Developments (No PUD’s) in our little downtown. I am wondering what moral high ground the ZBA Chairman occupies when using this spin.

C4CH will continue to defend the voter’s referendum and the retailers in Clarendon Hills. The ZBA is looking a little too much like a Clarendon Hill’s version of Chicago.I ask the Village Board to rescind this PUD and comply with the ordinance without using loopholes.

Janice Cummings
Clarendon Hills