A diagram of downtown Lake Bluff from a draft of the village’s Blocks Two and Three Architectural and Streetscape Design Guidelines.
In October 2015, portions of Blocks 2 and 3 in downtown Lake Bluff were purchased with the goal of developing Multi Unit Housing. On December 16, 2015 during a joint meeting of the Zoning Board and Architectural Review Board, a Visioning Study presented three plans, including one design that called for 113 units. As residents of Lake Bluff, we are concerned that a development of this proportion is not consistent with our Village’s motto, “North Shore Living, Lake Bluff Style”. Lake Bluff
is inherently different from our surrounding North Shore suburbs in that it has a relaxed and small town vibe. A development of this size will dramatically change the style and feel of our quaint downtown.
Block 2 in Lake Bluff consists of the properties north of Scranton Avenue between Walnut and Oak and south of North Avenue, a residential street that has primarily single-family homes. Block 3 (PNC Bank) is the property along the north side of
Scranton between Oak and Evanston.
The Zoning and ABR Boards have quickly pushed to draft design guidelines, however have unfortunately not committed to maintain current zoning standards with regards to density and height. One of the proposals represents more than 10 times the current density of the surrounding neighborhood.
We ask the governmental boards to reflect carefully as these developments are proposed, keeping in mind the qualities that differentiate Lake Bluff from other North Shore suburbs. In addition, a dramatic increase in density of this magnitude
will negatively impact downtown parking, traffic, the ability of our children to roam safely, water runoff and detention, and the loss of green space.
There will be more dialogue about the Visioning study, and a proposal for Block 3 from the Developer that will be presented at the upcoming meeting. If you are concerned about how these changes will impact the character of our community, please attend the next combined Zoning and ABR board workshop on this topic Tuesday, February 9, at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall.
For more information, visit the village’s website to review a draft of the Blocks Two and Three Architectural & Streetscape Guidelines.
From Lake Bluff residents;
Tom and Robin McAfee
Marina Carney Puryear
Grant and Maureen Chamberlain
Chris and Holli Volkert
Kyle and Christina Peterson
Jim and Julie Stevenson
Jim and Gretchen Seymour
Mark and Nicole Stolzenburg
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor represent the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of Daily North Shore.