La Grange Drawback To Be Remedied: Officials

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange's downtown is rated highly and has become a destination.

The drawback: There is no place to stay the night.

A local businessman is working to change that.

On Monday, the Village Board approved five short-term rental units on the second floor of the building at 108 W. Calendar Ave.

The businessman, Dan Spain, who also owns The Elm restaurant in La Grange, plans to call the rentals Treehouse Guest Suites.

The village says it has long banned short-term rentals such as Airbnbs and Vrbos. Spain's business is the first exception.

As part of its decision, the board changed the local code to allow such housing in certain commercial areas. But owners would need to get special-use permits.

Five short-term rentals are proposed for the building at 108 W. Calendar Ave. in downtown La Grange. (David Giuliani/Patch)

"La Grange has grown into a go-to spot for events in the western suburbs," Spain told the board.

However, he said many visitors who attend local events often stay the night in Oak Brook, Countryside or even Chicago.

"They leave town, and so does their spending," Spain said. "They are getting their breakfast, shopping and dinner somewhere else."

Spain's plan has support in the community. At the meeting, resident Todd Van Cleave said the rentals are needed.

"Destination cities around the world have places for people to stay. La Grange is a destination city and has nowhere for anyone to stay, so we need to fix this," he said.

Such rentals are appropriate in downtown La Grange, away from residents who may be worried about noise, he said.

Village Trustee Glenn Thompson gave a personal example in which such rentals would benefit the community. He said he would fly to Atlanta next week to bring on a new employee – something he could handle locally if rentals were available.

The new employee, he said, could have breakfast, lunch and dinner in town.

"This is a great addition to the village to keep our taxes and spending here," he said.

Trustee Beth Augustine said she had been hoping for such an opportunity for La Grange.

Years ago, she said, a hotel operated near the downtown train station. It is where the Anecdote furniture store is now.

"It was a great little place," she said. "It fell into disrepair in the 1990s or early 2000s. It was nothing special by the time it closed down. That was during a decline in downtown."

Village President Mark Kuchler said emails to him about Spain's proposal were half in favor, half against.

Opponents, he said, feared the rentals would change downtown's character.

"I trust it will be done well like The Elm," he said.

Kuchler said it would have been more difficult if Spain were evicting tenants to make way for short-term rentals. But he said they had been vacant for several years.

The board's approval was unanimous.

La Grange resident Todd Van Cleave expresses support Monday for short-term rentals planned for downtown La Grange. (David Giuliani/Patch)