Politics & Government
Lake Bluff Zoning Board Approves Dropping Age Restriction for Stonebridge Development
SunCal emphasizes they will not ask for any more density.
The Village of Lake Bluff Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-1 Wednesday night to remove the legal designation of the Stonebridge property as an age restricted development.
Stonebridge was originally developed with an age restriction for residents 55 and older and not under the age of 18. Both restrictions were lifted.
Tonight (March 17), the Village of Lake Bluff Plan Commission will take its turn with a public hearing concerning the age restriction. Both the ZBA and Plan Commission’s recommendations will be passed on to the Village Board for a potential vote at its next meeting on March 28.
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The only member of the ZBA to vote against the proposal was Gary Peters. Board member Mary Collins was absent.
Development company SunCal had agreed to a purchasing contract with Stonebridge Lake Bluff LLC for the 47-acre property, under the condition that the age restriction was lifted. The property has been in foreclosure for nine months and according to Chris Rentz, the original developer, the property could be bought out by the bank by April 30 if the sale does not go through.
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During public comment, Village trustee Rick Lesser told the board not to feel pressured to give the development new life.
“Instead of trying to salvage this failure, let the foreclosure go through,” Lesser said.
However, ZBA chairman Joan Kaltsas responded prior to the board vote that she didn’t believe the board was “being stampeded into a decision here.”
“I think this board needs to operate out of a sense of what is reasonable, realistic and responsible,” Kaltsas continued, “and for the most part we have seen something that is reasonable, realistic and responsible and that’s what we’ve been asked to vote on.”
Kalisas said developing Stonebridge will bring change to Lake Bluff, whether or not the property kept the age restriction.
“There are a lot of fears that come with change,” Kaltsas said. “A lot of fears that come with new situations are presented to us. We try to minimize fear level and open it up to be creative.”
Kaltsas cited that in the past, being creative and resourceful when faced with change had resulted not only in a new school but a new downtown for Lake Bluff.
In addition, SunCal senior vice president of real estate development, Stan Brown, indicated early in his comments to the board that SunCal has no intention of coming back to the ZBA and asking for more density.
"I can state categorically we will not ask for more density," Brown said, adding SunCal will likely come back to the board with changes in the floor plans of the proposed housing.
Raising Concerns
During the three hour public hearing, Lake Bluff residents were given time to voice their concerns, followed by a question and answer session between board members and representatives from both Stonebridge Lake Bluff LLC and SunCal.
Matthew Kerouac has only lived in Lake Bluff for a year, but his house on West Hawthorne Court sites in close proximity to Stonebridge.
“It is discerning to hear that there are no impact studies done with the drop of the age restriction,” said Kerouac, who is an architect.”There are a lot of unknowns. I don’t want to come back here chasing more solutions.”
Kerouac also noted more than 140 homes are currently for sale in Lake Bluff, and that an emphasis be placed on selling those before adding a new development.
He wasn’t the only resident worried about the lack of an impact study.
Kari Skinner said she was interested specifically in the impact a family-friendly development would have on traffic in the area.
According to Rentz, a traffic impact study was conducted when original development plans began with an age targeted development in mind in 2007 and was updated on March 1.
Lesser also said he wanted to see an impact study specifically concerning traffic. Lesser said he believed the initial study to be flawed and unreliable.
Village Engineer George Russell said that ultimately, someone will always raise an issue with a traffic study due to the many variables involved. According to Russell, the most important part of such a study would be to know who the future residents of the community would be, a currently unknown demographic.
“It’s still going to be an issue of debate due to what kind of residents we’re going to have in there,” Russell said.
Retention Pond Safety
Russell also answered questions residents and board members had about the five retention ponds on the Stonebridge property.
According to Lesser, the ponds were originally allowed to be dug on the property with steep banks because children under the age of 18 would not be living in the development. Dropping the age restriction was cause for concern for Lesser and others present at the meeting.
But Russell informed them the ponds were dug with a safety shelf built in, an 8-foot wide ledge built no deeper than 3 feet from the pond’s surface level.
Russell said the ponds meet basic standards for constructed ponds in Lake County.
According to the current landscaping plans for the property, “natural landscaping” will surround the ponds, something Russell said will hopefully deter people from playing or picnicking next to the ponds.
Board member James Callahan said although it is important for the ponds to be safe architecturally, ultimately parents need to be responsible for their children’s safety.
Impact on Property Values
Beyond traffic and pond studies, residents who spoke at the meeting were concerned about the property values of the homes in their community once the Stonebridge development was built.
Lesser encouraged the ZBA to consider conducting a study concerning how the new development would impact homes that are currently on the market in Lake Bluff.
Misty Bell spoke from her own experience as a resident on West Hawthorne Court, where she said there are currently four houses for sale. Bell said the houses would be great for young families to move in to, an opportunity that may be overshadowed by the brand-new 82 homes Stonebridge would bring.
“To say there isn’t a place for new families, I don’t agree with that. There’s one next door to me that I’ve been waiting for five years for a young family to move into,” Bell said.
Resident Support
Not all residents who spoke at the public hearing came looking for answers. Some took the podium to voice support for a Stonebridge without an age restriction.
Rob Douglass said based on his own research, SunCal understood the historic importance of Stonebridge and how to make it a family-friendly development that is consistent with Lake Bluff’s current community.
“I believe their objective is to make every effort possible to make this project successful. Lifting the age restriction is one step in that direction,” Douglass said. “There is no doubt a successful Stonebridge will benefit the whole community. This project needs to be successful.”
Janet Nelson agreed a new family development would be a good edition to the Village, and not only for additional revenue to village coffers.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt us to get people younger than 55. I think we really need an increase in a younger age so we don’t all grow old together,” Nelson said.