Suburban Chicago residents rally against development plans: 'Doublespeak'
Suburban Chicago residents rally against development plans: "Doublespeak"
Hundreds showed up to tell the Northbrook Village Board how they feel about plans for downtown development.
CHICAGO - A debate is brewing over the future of a Northbrook shopping center, where a proposal to replace Meadow Plaza with condominium towers has drawn fierce opposition from residents.
The backstory:
Property owner Pulte Homes wants to redevelop Meadow Plaza with three six-story condominium buildings, two commercial parcels and a publicly accessible riverwalk.
About 400 people attended a public hearing Tuesday night, many of them speaking out against the proposal.
Residents with the group Save Downtown Northbrook argue the development would increase traffic, potentially overcrowd schools, lead to flooding and environmental concerns and destroy the character of downtown.
Susan Nelson has been handing out flyers to inform her neighbors.
"They’re gonna get rid of 14 businesses to build more so they can entice businesses. That’s doublespeak. There’s already 577-600 (residential) units within a radius of downtown right now," said Nelson.
Nelson said local businesses are already thriving.
What's next:
The village says the Meadow Plaza property is privatelyowned, and the decision to redevelop the site is up to the property owner.
The village's role is to determine whether the plan complies with zoning and other regulations.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Joanie Lum.