The continuing controversy over the size, density and composition of the redevelopment of the former Columbus Hospital site heated up again last week when, at the request of Ald. Vi Daley (43rd), members of the Diversey Harbor Lakeview Association were invited to a presentation of new plans for the project by American Invsco Realty. The project, which Invsco has tentatively named “Estates on Lincoln Park,” has been a source of community concern since it was first announced last year.
The presentation is scheduled to take place at a meeting to be hosted by DLVA on Thursday, Feb. 21. Expected at the meeting is Invsco’s architect, Lucien Legrange. According to Eugene Fisher, DHLA’s executive director, the meeting was organized at the request of the alderman and the attorney for the developer, Theodore Novak, in an attempt to show changes in the plan for the site. When first informed, the community group objected to the plans because of density and height concerns. Invsco modified those plans, but the first modification was still outside what the DHLA group felt were acceptable limits.
DHLA is a consortium of condominium and co-operative associations in the area roughly bounded by Fullerton Ave., Diversey Ave., Lakeview Ave. and Clark St. Invsco representatives have attempted to arrange meetings with individual condo boards and those efforts have been rebuffed by the boards, who have referred Invsco representatives to the umbrella organization which, they say, represents their interests in this controversy. According to Fisher, Invsco agents referred to “new information” as the basis for requesting the meeting. Fisher told Inside, “We do not know what that information is. Their (Invsco’s) original thrust was to try to arrange the meetings with individual condo associations. That was a complete flop as a divide and conquer ploy.”
At that point, Ald. Daley offered DHLA members an opportunity to gather and hear Invsco’s presentation at the meeting on the 21st. According to Fisher’s understanding, Legrange will show renderings and components of the new development. DHLA is interested in the number and size of the units with particular concern about the increased density the new building will have on the already overcrowded neighborhood. According to Fisher, “Pretty pictures won’t answer that question. We will host the meeting as evidence of our good faith and in deference to the alderman, but we will have to see a substantive downscaling of the specifications beyond what we have heard about to this point.”
Invsco has also contacted another community action group that is interested in the project, the Park West Community Association (PWCA). The PWCA’s Planning, Parking and Traffic committee has also indicated that Invsco has scheduled a presentation at the next meeting of PWCA on Feb. 25. PWCA defines the area in which it is active as being bounded by Lakeview Ave., Halsted St., Fullerton Pkwy. and Diversey Ave., boundaries that somewhat overlap the area of the DHLA. However, the two groups share a common interest in preserving the integrity of the community and in preventing increasing density and “canyonization” of the area fronting Lincoln Park.
Don Glickman, chairman of the PWCA’s planning committee, told Inside that he had received a call from Jim Terman who said he was the public relations representative of the 2520 Lakeview Development Corporation, Invsco’s corporate shell for the new development. Glickman said he was told that 2520 Lakeview wanted to make a presentation to PWCA and that their group would include the architect and possibly their attorney to tell about the new plans for the building. He was also concerned about the extent of changes that might be presented.
“Invsco has never attempted to listen to what the community has to say,” Glickman said. “They just don’t seem to care about community concerns relative to the height and density of their project. We’re still willing to see whether their plans have changed but Nick Gouletas (Invsco’s CEO) is a person who is very confident in his ability to sell anything to anyone. By agreeing to meet while we have an open mind, we’re not implying acceptance of Invsco’s proposal. To date, Invsco has not been willing to listen to our objections.”
Ted Novak, attorney for Invsco, told Inside that the new proposal that will be presented to the groups represented “a significant change from the proposal that was introduced several months ago.” Novak referred to the older proposal as “the Alcott School proposal,” and said that in the new plan, a maximum of 350 apartments would be built in three separate buildings along Lakeview Ave. and an additional 32 town homes would be constructed on the site. Novak told us that a landscape architect had been engaged to make sure that the revised plan would blend into the neighborhood.
“Invesco,” Novak explained, “has continually reduced the height of the development and the current proposal is a significant compromise from the original plan. It is now closer in density to R-5 zoning than to R-6 and, while the mix of units could be changed based on market analysis and demand, the proposed development would never exceed the 350 apartments and 32 town homes now being discussed.”
The efforts of the two community groups have been effective in delaying the closing of the sale of the project to Invsco. The original closing for the property sale was scheduled for the month of February, but because of the delays in getting approval for their project, this closing has now been delayed until December of 2002.
The final outcome of this dispute will probably result in a compromise in which none of the parties will go away entirely happy. However, the vitality of the community’s activism bodes well for the neighborhood’s future.
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