High-Rise Vote Slated for Monday

The Oak Park Village Board on Monday could decide the fate of the high-rise tower planned for the heart of downtown.

Sertus Capital Partners, a Chicago-based development company, is aiming for the board to approve new plans to it glitzy tower, which call for two floors of retail space and 20 stories of high-end luxury apartments. If approved, the structure would be Oak Park's tallest.

Construction for the high-rise building would require tweaks to village zoning, height and density codes. The Oak Park Plan Commission considered those changes in November, resulting in deadlocked 4-4 vote. Technically, that's a denial and in order to overturn it, a "supermajority," or five votes to approve by the village board, is required.

"It's a fairly momentous evening," said Village Clerk Teresa Powell.

Village officials have been mulling the new set of plans for at least a month, and they're expected to prompt a healthy debate at the special meeting at , 123 Madison St., at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

A copy of the meeting agenda is attached at a PDF document.

Still, the vote could be postponed until "[the board] feels it has sufficient information," Powell said.

The Oak Park Plan Commission and Village Board had given their OK to the developer's original 2009 plans, which called for a hotel and condo building at Lake Street and Forest Avenue. But a soft real estate market and a sluggish economy forced Sertus to

Both sets of plans have ignited a controversy, with project opponents saying the tall glass and steel building would be an eyesore to downtown Oak Park, cause traffic headaches and would be tough to fill with businesses and luxury apartment dwellers.

But some Oak Park officials, along with some in the business community, say the building would meet the goals for economic growth and housing outlined in the village's Greater Downtown Master Plan.

In a Jan. 3 Wednesday Journal editorial, Sertus managing director Michael Glazier said the project would not only "fulfill Oak Park's objectives," but would also "appeal to newcomers to Oak Park seeking an attractive, high-quality rental unit as a first step to putting down roots here. At the same time, the project would offer conveniently located, single-level, zero-maintenance housing for existing residents looking to downsize and stay in the community."