Former La Grange YMCA site to become mixed use development

Former La Grange YMCA site to become mixed use development

The former YMCA site in near west suburban La Grange will become the centerpiece of the village’s ongoing redevelopment with a combination of retail space, townhouses and rental apartments.

A consultant for the village said the rental units—which could eventually become condominiums—will add a younger demographic that will benefit downtown retail stores and restaurants.

A key to the development of La Grange Place on the east side of the village is its location near the intersection of Ogden Avenue (U.S. Rte. 34) and Mannheim Road (U.S. Rte. 45) where close to 100,000 vehicles pass each day, according to Patrick Benjamin, the La Grange community development director.

He also noted that the development, which is scheduled to break ground soon, is close to two railroad stations: one at La Grange Road and one at Stone Avenue, so residents would not have to drive and park to access Metra.

Benjamin said village officials want to continue with new construction on infill sites as well as rehab buildings.

“There will be a little more focus on the western side of the village to go along with development on the eastern side like La Grange Place and the recently opened Triangle Partners project at La Grange Crossing, which is similar in size with a combination of residential and retail,” he said.
Atlantic Realty Partners is also developing a 25,000-square-foot shopping area in Arlington Heights. The company has completed a 200-unit mid-rise residential building in Evanston, said Richard Aaronson, an executive with the firm. Since 1995, the Atlanta-based company has developed nearly $350 million in properties containing more than 2,500 residential units.

The village official said he was also excited about the project because all the funding for the project came from private investment. Often municipalities have to provide incentives for developers with such tools as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts.

Bob Ware, executive director of the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also noted that a TIF district was not used.

“There were no freebies and no give-away aspects (to the plan). This is something communities dream about,” he said. “In fact, the developer agreed to create a deceleration lane and redo the sidewalk to address concerns by residents.”

Ware also pointed out the revenue La Grange Place will generate through taxes for the school district and the park district.

The Chamber executive said the developer is looking for a nationally known company to anchor the retail space. Other spaces could include businesses like a hairdresser or a dentist.

Telephone calls over several days to Atlantic Realty Partners, a private commercial real estate firm based in Atlanta, were unreturned. Since its inception in 1995, the firm has been responsible for the construction of nearly $350 million in institutional quality properties containing more than 2,500 residential units, according to its Web site, www.atlantic-realty.com.

“Overall, La Grange Place will add to the day life, the evening life and the weekend life of the village because residents there will not need to drive, but they can walk to businesses and to the train station,” Ware said.

The La Grange Place parcel includes the 4.29-acre former Rich Port YMCA property and 2.82 acres of park district property, including the site of a former maintenance shed and 2.04 acres of open space park land.

The mixed use redevelopment includes:
• Retail space of 20,000 square-feet at the corner of La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue.
• Four five-story multiple family residential buildings with a total of 283 rental apartments.
• Additional retail space of 13,000 square-feet on the first floor of multi-family Building C.
• Covered parking with green space and amenities.
• Twenty-six town homes.
• Open, green space on the western third of the town home property.

At public hearings and workshops, the developer provided the following revisions to the plans:
• Reduced density from 335 total units (298 apartments and 37 town homes) to 309 total units (283 apartments and 26 town homes).
• Divided the multiple family component from two large buildings into four separate buildings.
• Revised the east elevation by providing glazing at the ground floor and large windows in order to add interest.
• Changed pitched roof of multiple family buildings to flat roof with parapets and undulations to reduce the appearance of bulk.
• Dedicated the western one third of the town home property to permanent open space.

One of the areas of greatest concern to staff, commissioners and the public is vehicular circulation and access to the site. As recommended in the traffic study by a consultant, Atlantic Realty Partners agreed to numerous traffic improvements.

The company also agreed to provide extensive improvements for pedestrian movements including widened and unobstructed sidewalks.

“Staff was very pleased with the collaborative planning effort of Atlantic Realty Partners and the Plan Commission and the improvements to the final plan as well as the demonstrated ability of the development team,” said Benjamin.

Dan McLeister, Contributing Writer

Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 (Archive on Wednesday, May 28, 2008)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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