La Grange Place proposal approved by Village Board

La Grange Place, a major residential and commercial redevelopment proposed for the former Rich Port YMCA site, was approved Monday night by the La Grange Board of Trustees.

The ordinance was adopted by a 5-0 vote, with Trustee Mark Langan having recused himself from participating in the hearings because he is employed by the YMCA of Greater Chicago.

The unanimous support surprised many observers who had just sat through more than two hours of detailed questions and concerns that trustees directed at developer Richard Aaronson, president of Atlantic Realty Partners.

Monday night's session was the board's fourth lengthy hearing on the proposed project, which had evoked strong opposition from some residents over concerns regarding its density, the traffic it would generate and the inclusion of nearly three acres of Gordon Park that the developer hopes to purchase from the Park District of La Grange.

Park District officials still have not received approval from a Cook County Circuit Court judge who is hearing a challenge to the sale presented by La Grange resident Orlando Coryell.

Another resident, William Dobias, withdrew his court challenge in February after Atlantic Realty agreed to retain as open space a half-acre of parkland adjacent to La Grange Towers condominiums.

Comments

[Chris Walsh]

That's Mark "Not Ken" Langan :^)