Zoning Code Amendment for Eden Takes First Step

The Zoning and Public Safety (ZPS) Committee set in motion Monday night a process that could eventually lead to an amendment to the village's zoning code that would accommodate Eden Supportive Living's takeover and planned re-use of the Washington Square property as an assisted living facility for patients age 55 and over.  

The ZPS Committee voted 3 to 1 Monday to recommend that the Hinsdale Board of Trustees refer the text amendment, which includes a modification to the zoning code's building density requirements, to the Plan Commission for a public hearing that, according to village planner Sean Gascoigne, would likely take place Sept. 14.

"Public hearing and deliberation [of the Plan Commission] is the part where most cases start," Gascoigne said.

Trustee J. Kimberley Angelo voted against recommending board referral. 

Trustee Bob Saigh, who serves as chairman of the ZPS Committee, said he expects the Board of Trustees to vote in favor of referral. 

If the board votes to refer, the amendment will go through the same process as Eden's application for special-use permits earlier this month. The Plan Commission would make a recommendation at the conclusion of its public hearing, and, if the commission gives a vote of support, the amendment will eventually go back in front of the Board of Trustees for final approval.  

According to Gascoigne, if the amendment gets Plan Commission support, it would likely go in front of the Board of Trustees for a vote in October. 

At the board's Aug. 16 meeting, Eden's special-use applications were approved pending the zoning code amendment. (.) The board's vote was unanimous, though Angelo abstained and expressed concern with the validity of a marketing study presented by Eden's management. 

Currently, the zoning code demands that personal care facilities be on a lot that contains 2,000 square feet per dwelling. The proposed Eden facility would have 68 units on a 42,400 square foot lot. That's 93,600 square feet short of current standards.

The proposed text amendment, which can be found in the ZPS agenda packet here, would change the code's language so that an exception in the density regulations can be made for a combined personal care/senior housing development housed in a structure built before the year 2000.

Saigh said the proposed amendment is "very site-specific," and would not affect any planned developments other than Eden.

"There is not other situation like this in the village," Saigh said.