Key among them is Perkins & Will principal Mark Jolicoeur, an Oak Park resident who took the Whiteco Residential's previous proposal for a 17-story apartment building, reduced its size and turned the rectangular building 90 degrees to an east-west orientation. In addition, Perkins & Will offer a concept that would include rental townhouses to be built on the north end of the site, along the 1100 block of Ontario Avenue.
The height of the multifamily rental building would be in line with the neighboring Holley Court condominium tower. While ground-floor retail space would be included as well as a Trader Joe's grocery store, the plan no longer includes a health club.
Whiteco Residential's previous $42-million proposal came under intense criticism during nearly 50 hours of public hearings.
"Whiteco remains very committed to this project," says Connelly, who presented the firm's latest proposal to village trustees recently. "It became apparent to me that we really had to take a fresh start, and that's what we needed."
Jolicoeur admits he had misgivings about signing on to the project, but took the assignment because Whiteco has agreed to a planning approach that includes designing the development to fit into the surrounding community.
Attorney Daniel J. Slattery of the Chicago-based firm of Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd., also is an Oak Park resident. "I think that's important because I wouldn't get involved in this project unless we wanted to do something great for Oak Park," Slattery says. "We are committed to having community input before we file a new application."
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