La Grange Officials Criticize Coworking Proposal

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange officials on Monday criticized a proposal for coworking space and a small restaurant in a downtown building.

Offices are generally prohibited on the first floor of downtown buildings. And if exceptions are made, the first-floor frontage must be occupied by a restaurant or retail.

Officials said they want downtown to be a vibrant place where people can dine and shop. Plus, such places bring the village sales tax income.

Brick & Mortar, which has offices in other suburbs, is proposing coworking space at 30. S. La Grange Road, the site of the old Nicksons Eatery, which closed a few years ago.

According to Brick & Mortar's proposal, a part of the first floor would include BOA Acai restaurant, with BOA standing for "Brazil's Organic Acai." The business operates eateries at suburban farmers markets.

In November, the village's Plan Commission recommended approval of Brick & Mortar's plan.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, Village President Mark Kuchler differed with the commission, saying he had "serious" concerns with the proposal. He said the panel didn't adequately consider the residents who spoke at the public hearing.

Andrew Nast of Brick & Mortar said his company's other coworking spaces have become "business hubs." And he said BOA Acai has been popular at area farmers markets, with long lines of people waiting for its food.

He said his business was "thrilled" about the high-profile location in La Grange,

"We can make something amazing happen here," Nast said. "If you go and look at any of our other locations, they are premium coworking spaces with a significant amount of thought put into them from an aesthetic perspective, from a functional perspective."

Trustee Beth Augustine said she didn't feel the proposed eatery reflected true retail.

"Our concern is retail – retail revenue, foot traffic, people seeing this village as a place to shop and go into," she said. "There are other places in town where you could set up shop without these requirements."

Trustee Lou Gale described the proposed restaurant as "walk up, grab and go."

Kuchler agreed.

"Eating in the summer when you can stand and eat your food outside is one thing," he said. "Doing it tomorrow when it's zero degrees outside is a little more difficult."

Kuchler also referred to the appearance of the building after Nicksons Eatery left, which he previously described as a "thorn in everybody's side."

"There hasn't been an effort to keep the building looking nice when you were looking for financing," Kuchler said.

The Village Board voted unanimously to send the coworking proposal back to the Plan Commission.