The Albion development of 1000 Lake Street should not considered. We urge the Trustees to refuse this proposal. It should not be sent to the Plan Commission for review. This development is not in the best interest of our community.
An 18 story building on Lake Street would create a massive wall, effectively cutting off the downtown area from the visitors to the Frank Lloyd Wright historic area. Thousands of tourists visit our village to view the fantastic architecture. The proposed 190’ Albion building would tower over our 430’ park and create an aesthetic and visual block instead of a welcoming gateway.
The parcel at 1000 Lake Street is zoned for an 80’ building. This zoning has been reaffirmed by two master plans by two different urban planning consultants that cost the Village hundreds of thousands of dollars. The zoning guidelines were put in place to maintain the historic character of downtown Oak Park while still allowing for reasonable development. The master plan was signed by this Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, and present Trustees Andrea Ott and Robert Tucker.
The Albion building would cast a permanent shadow over Austin Gardens, adding to the shadow already in place from the Vantage building. Even Albion’s biased shade study shows that 11 mature trees and smaller plantings are be expected to die from the effects of the shade. In winter, the entire park would receive little or no sun. Residents from all over Oak Park view Austin Gardens as the jewel of the Oak Park parks; its native woodland is home to wildlife and native plants and it provides a natural respite in our busy downtown. Open, natural space is at a premium in Oak Park and should be treasured. As the 2014 Comprehensive Plan states, “Parks, open spaces, and environmental features are critical in defining the character of Oak Park, and they are also the most costly assets to lose since they can take so long to replace.”
The economic justification for this building is spurious. Demand for luxury apartments is already softening in Chicago, and there are many other luxury developments coming on the market soon in Oak Park. Will the Albion development end up to be an empty building that compromises our downtown and our beautiful park? In addition, this development does not move forward on our goal of economic diversity, as no affordable units are planned as part of it.
The proposed building adds nothing of interest to our downtown. It provides no architectural interest (in fact, is a copy of a building in downtown Chicago), and provides nothing but luxury, high-rent apartments, a small retail store and a coffee shop. Given Oak Park's rich architectural heritage, progressive population, and desirable demographic, developers should be proposing a building that will inspire more than just these run-of-the-mill uses, such as a business/tech incubator, for example.
Research has shown that increasing density in a village of our size does not lead to lower taxes and, in fact, the opposite may be true. Peer-reviewed research by economists and urban planning specialists show that increasing population density does not reduce taxes. The residents of those buildings use Village services--police, fire, sewer, parks, schools, and we don’t know what the additional cost will be on programs. Other suburbs demand an impact fee from large developments, but that is not part of the proposal from Albion.
The residents of Oak Park bear the cost of this project. When a new large-scale development takes place on a privately-owned parcel, who stands to gain and who stands to lose from this project? The cost of this project will be borne by the residents, shoppers, and tourists of Oak Park, while the benefits accrue to Michigan-based Village Green Holding LLC (who created Albion Residential last year) and to the current owner of the site, who bought it on speculation that the Village would approve a massive development there. It is not our responsibility to make sure the developer and land owner make money.
The Park District of Oak Park, working in good faith that the zoning ordinance would be followed, built an award-winning Environmental Center in Austin Gardens that relies on solar panels. A building that flaunts the zoning would negatively impact the center, wasting the money and effort spent to create the energy efficient building that provides educational opportunities to people of all ages, including a nature-based preschool whose garden would be shaded out.
The Vantage building has created a wind tunnel on Forest Avenue which would be exacerbated by the Albion development. The Albion wind study states that “The southerly and southwesterly winds will still be deflected onto the intersection and along Forest Ave between the existing and proposed buildings…. [and] may cause local wind accelerations around the north end of the development for winds from the westerly directions.” Wind is a problem not only for pedestrians along Lake Street, but also for plantings and wildlife in the vicinity and for those who hope to enjoy the park on the many days that the wind blows in Oak Park.
According to the Village Zoning Code, 3.9.4 Downtown--Lake Street Building Height and Massing Overlay District
A. Purpose
The purpose of the Downtown -- Lake Street Building Height and Massing Overlay District is to protect the unique and representative character of the existing Village streetscape and prevent the construction of buildings which would be disruptive and incompatible with the character of both the street and the Village.
It is clear from all of the arguments stated above that the Albion proposal is not the right development for our village. We urge the trustees to reject this proposal and look forward to a development proposal that respects the architectural heritage of Oak Park and our beautiful green space. Hundreds of people have signed petitions against the zoning change and the results of the recent election prove that residents do not want to see an 18 story high rise in this location.