Board rejects plan to build townhouse

by BRIAN NADIG

The Sauganash Community Association board of directors rejected a proposal to build an 18-unit townhouse on a narrow strip of land that runs along the route of the planned Weber Spur bike trail.

"The alderman contacted the developer, and he understood the association’s concerns, and he’s going back to the drawing board," Alderman Margaret Laurino spokesman Manuel Galvan said.

The association released the following statement: "Among other issues, many on the board expressed concern over the potential loss of green space and questioned the appropriateness of adding density to this out-of-the-way corner of the neighborhood."

The parcel runs several hundred feet south of the intersection of Bryn Mawr and Kostner avenues, with LaBagh Woods to the west and the bike trail to the east. Plans call for the trail to run from Cicero and Sunnyside avenues to several suburbs, including Lincolnwood and Skokie. The trail is being built on a former railroad line.

A portion of the property also is located next two single-family homes on Bryn Mawr. The townhouses would be three stories tall.

The association board met with project officials last month. "After the meeting, the SCA board decided that the 18 townhouse proposal would not benefit our neighborhood and found no compelling reason to support a zoning change or a planned development which would allow construction of townhouses," the group’s statement said.

Up to seven single-families homes could be built on the site, but that would require some of the property to be rezoned, according to the statement. Part of the site is zoned POS-1, which intended for parks and other open spaces, and the rest is RS-1, which permits single-family homes.

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