Newspaper Articles

• "Options presented for Cicero-Peterson":  "Reporter", Volume 37, Number 24, Week of June 17, 2001

• "Update on Cicero and Peterson":  "The Sounds", July 2, 2001

From "The Sounds", Volume 24, Number 14

    Our June meeting was held June 26, 2001.  The Board discussed the corner of Cicero and Peterson.  As a result of our prior meeting in which Imperial Realty suggested they would demolish the existing structures, a letter of recommendation will be sent to Alderman Margaret Laurino indicating our desire that the abandoned buildings be razed.

    A debate was had concerning the possibility of voting our precinct wet in an effort to promote higher-end restaurants coming into the neighborhood at some point in the future.  A questionnaire may be sent out to the community asking for input on this subject.

From "The Sounds", Volume 27, Number 36 - September 9, 2001

From the "Reporter", Volume 37, Number 37 - September 16, 2001

From the "Reporter", Volume 37, Number 40 - October 7, 2001

From the "Reporter" - February 24, 2002

Status 6/21/2002:  The developer, Imperial Realty, presented to the board a proposal of an 8 to 9-story condominium project.  This was rejected by the board.  The site was also down-zoned recently.

"State Supreme Court's ruling limits eminent domain power" from the "Reporter" - July 7, 2002

Status 12/9/2002:  On December 9, 2002 we were called by Diane of the alderman's office. She told us that the Community Development Commission was going to have a hearing the next afternoon concerning the City's proposal to obtain authority to reacquire part of the Peterson/Cicero area by exercising their condemnation powers.

During that hearing, Al Klairmont testified as owner of Imperial Realty. He opposed the request. He said that had just presented a plan to the city for a mixed use for the site comprising condo development and a Whole Foods Supermarket. He conceded that he had no firm commitments for this proposal.

The community association testified in favor of the City's proposal. All of the commissioners voted in favor of the proposal.  Currently, the City does not have any plans for the land, but intends on marketing the parcel as a whole rather than piecemeal.

Status 1/28/2003:  Alderman Marge Laurino informed the board that the corner of Cicero and Peterson has been put on an acquisition list by the City of Chicago.  The City already had acquisition authority for two acres, but got the additional power to acquire another 1.3 acres Imperial Realty recently acquired from the Polish National Alliance, which ran the banquet hall.

Bill Kaplan, Chairman and CEO, and Bob Garanski of Senior Lifestyle Corporation made a presentation to the board about possible senior-housing options their company can provide on the Cicero and Peterson site.  The Alderman expressed her firm commitment to pursuing housing for seniors in the Sauganash community.

Senior Lifestyle Corporation’s first endeavor in senior housing was in 1985 with The Breakers at Edgewater Beach in Chicago.  They are now a leading provider of residential services and care to America’s senior adult population.

In 1993, they began exploring options for affordable independent-style housing with services.  With both public and private funding, they created Senior Suites, an affordable, independent-style housing prototype that offers services such as transportation and activities.  Some examples of their projects nearby are:  Senior Suites of Jefferson Park, Austin, Belmont Cragin, Central Station, Gage Park, Garfield Ridge, Hegewisch, Ravenswood Manor, South Shore and Washington Heights.

Alderman Laurino intends to present many viable options to the community association board in the near future.

From the "Reporter", Volume 39, Number 9 - March 2, 2003

From the "Reporter", Volume 39, Number 18 - May 4, 2003

From the "Reporter", Volume 39, Number 36 - September 7, 2003

From the "Edgebrook-Sauganash Times Review" - September 11, 2003

Chicago Sun-Times Coverage - January 26, 2004

February 17, 2004
The February Sauganash Community Association Board meeting was held at Sauganash Park at 6 P.M. This meeting was to review, for the last time, the proposal for the development at Cicero & Peterson.  Below was what was discussed (courtesy of the Reporter, week of February 22 - written by Brian Nadig):

Traffic concerns highlighted a Feb. 17 Sauganash Community Association meeting on a proposed retail-residential development for the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues.  Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) told the crowd of about 40 people that while traffic engineers have paid careful attention to potential problems.  We plan on forming a committee to review traffic flow after the development has been open for a few months. At that time, the Alderman said that additional adjustments might be possible.

"The bottom line is there's going to be more traffic," Laurino said. "I think everyone would acknowledge that when this opens, it's going to be a little chaotic."

Project officials said that they are working with the city Department of Transportation to improve the signalization at the Cicero-Peterson intersection.  Thomas Kaeser, chief traffic engineer with TY Lin International and a project consultant, said that the department has been asked to lengthen the turn signal in all four directions at the intersection and to change the sensors in the left-turn lanes so that the signal activates more frequently. He said that the intersection is designed so that the sensors only activate when there are at least three cars in a turn lane.

Some residents voiced concern about northbound Cicero Avenue traffic backing up in front of the development due to cars making a left turn into the complex. One resident said that negotiating this left turn during the evening rush would be especially difficult because heavy southbound traffic would block the entrance.  Kaeser said that traffic projections indicate the planned 80-foot-long, left-turn bay, which would hold up to four cars, in front of the complex's southern-most entryway would be sufficient to accommodate northbound vehicles waiting to turn left. "The number crunching we've done indicates it works," he said, adding that a longer turn bay would be unlikely due to obstacles created by the close proximity of the Cicero-Peterson intersection.  A LEFT-TURN bay in front of the complex's second entrance to the north would not be possible because Cicero narrows too much at that point, Kaeser said in response to an audience member's question.

Residents also raised concern about the difficulty drivers would have making a left turn out of the complex onto northbound Cicero, with one audience member suggesting that a traffic tight be installed at the south entryway.  Kaeser said that Illinois Department of Transportation regulations would likely rule out a traffic signal being installed at the entryway. He said that the projected number of left turns out of the complex, estimated at up to 60 per hour at peak times, falls short of IDOTs minimum standard of 100 per hour for eight consecutive hours and that the signal would be considered too close to Cicero-Peterson intersection, located about 240 feet to the south.
 

March 11, 2004 - Cicero-Peterson project gets nod
The Chicago Plan Commission at its meeting today approved a planned development proposal for a Whole Foods grocery store and a 136-unit condominium complex at the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson avenues.  The commission's vote serves as a recommendation to the City Council, which is expected to vote on the development request this spring.

Commission member Linda Searl said that the project appears to have sufficient parking to accommodate customers of Whole Foods.

May 11, 2004
The Alderman met with the developer today. Currently, the developer is in the process of obtaining the necessary permits to begin construction. They are hoping to break ground in the fall.

May 17, 2004
New developer for Cicero Avenue site
by BRIAN NADIG from the "Reporter"

Although a new developer taken over the retail-residential development planned for a 2.93-acre site at the northwest corner of Cicero and Peterson the project is expected to move forward without any changes or delays.

The City Council recently approved the project, which includes a Whole Foods grocery store and 136 condominium units, as a planned development, so any changes plans would require council approval. Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) said that the new developer has informed her that no changes in the project are planned.

Brook-Ridge Development of Dundee, which specializes in residential construction, purchased the property May 11 from Imperial Realty, which owns several large office buildings in the Sauganash area. Imperial had been trying to redevelop the vacant parcel, which was once home to a service station and a motel, for several years.

Imperial president Al Klairmont said that he did not intend to sell the property until he talked to Brook-Ridge president Jim Wozny,
who grew up in the area. "We've had countless qualified developers approach us wishing to acquire the property,... (but) Brook-Ridge brought a certain passion to that corner," Klairmont said.

Wozny said that his company is working with the project's architect to prepare drawings which must be submitted to the city as part of the permit application process. "We are hopeful we could start construction the fourth quarter of this year," he said.

Wozny said that the project's first phase will include the construction of a five-story building which will house the Whole Foods outlet and 61 condominium units and which will take about a year to complete. He said that the second phase, which will include the construction of a six-story building with 75 condominiums and no retail space, will start after the 85 percent of the units in the first building are sold.

June 6, 2004 - Section 16 - Chicago Tribune "City Report"
Winter start for Cicero/Peterson project, under a new owner
By Jeanette Almada
Special to the Tribune

Construction is expected to begin in early winter on a long-awaited mixed-use development at Cicero and Peterson Avenues.
The 2.93-acre site, clearly visible from the Edens Expressway, is considered by area residents to be the gateway to the affluent Edgebrook and Sauganash neighborhoods.

The Chicago Plan Commission on March 11 approved as a planned development the proposal by Imperial Realty to build 136 condominiums, and 40,400 square feet of retail space to be occupied by Whole Foods.

In mid-Max Imperial sold the site and the approved project to Brook-Ridge Development Inc. of East Dundee.

Brook-Ridge agreed to build the project that Imperial Realty President Alfred Klairmont had negotiated with city officials. Brook-Ridge, however, continues to negotiate with the city to sell 20 percent of the condos as affordable and to secure a yet-to-be-determined amount of tax increment financing (TIF) assistance for the project, according to Jim Wozny, president of Brook-Ridge Development.

Imperial Realty began acquiring the site in 2000 as the once thriving businesses on it were closing. "We have demolished five buildings, preparing the site for development," Klairmont said in an interview last week.

The site was never really for sale. Nonetheless, over four years that we owned the site, we've been approached by countless developers," Klairmont said. "This was a difficult site to develop," he said. "It needed neighborhood and city approvals and we went through many, many proposals."

Whole Foods came into the picture amid negotiations between the city and neighborhood residents, who opposed Klairmont's original proposal to build 230 condos.

"In order to accommodate Whole Foods," Klairmont said, "we added retail space and underground parking, which increased the cost of the project. "All along the way developers had all sorts of interest"

The area's alderman, Margaret Laurino (39th), is confident the sale to Brook-Ridge will not delay the project. "We expect construction to begin by early winterand look forward to this project moving along," Laurino said in an interview last week.

Two buildings, divided by a 37-sapce parking lot, will go up on the site. On the south end, facing Peterson, will be a five-story building with 61 condos in the third through fifth floors. Whole Foods will occupy the building's 40,400 square feet of retail space at the ground level. Parking will be on the second floor and underground.

A six-story building at the north end of the site will have 75 condos on the second through sixth floors, with parking on the first.
The condos will range from one-bedroom, one-baths with 934 square feet to two-bedroom, 2 1/2 -bath units with 1,470 square feet, according to Brook-Ridge's Wozny.

Market-rate condos will cost $265,000 to $395,000 and affordable units will sell from $135,000 to $140,000, Wozny said last week.
A sales center at 4747 W. Peterson will open next month. "We hope to submit our permit drawings for approval by September," Wozny said. "We hope to begin construction in December or January."

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June 12, 2004
Peterson-Cicero Condos
By Nyra Gay
I had a very nice talk the other day with Mr. Jim Wozny of North-Bridge Development, the Company which has purchased the property at Cicero and Peterson. They plan to go forward with the same plans that were presented at the meeting at North Park Village, hopefully breaking ground in November or December. Jim showed me the condo layout.  He stressed the quality of the building.  The dining room will have wood floors with carpeting in the bedrooms. The ceilings will be slightly over 9' high.

At the moment, a reservation list has been started and he hopes to have a mailing in the near future, followed by a sales module on the property.

Jim Wozny grew up in Edgebrook and attended St. George High School. He has many friends in the Edgebrook/Sauganash area and he is excited about working on this project in an area he knows so well.

October 26, 2004
In the first tower, 52 units have sold and there are nine remaining.  Therefore, as of today, the first tower will be 90% occupied.
The second tower has a 100 family waiting list.

October 28, 2004

Alderman Laurino hosted a meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2004 at 7 PM at North Park Village (5801 N Pulaski) to discuss the development and to seek your input.  For those of you who missed it, the following information was discussed:

Timeline
Zoning change process:  6 - 7 months from October 28 (B3-1 to R4-5) to a PD hybrid zoning.

Pre-sales:  Spring 2004 (will require a small deposit to reserve a unit) - as of 2/22 there is a waiting list of 45 households.

Break Ground:  January the end of 2004.

Whole Foods construction:  at least 1 year from start of construction (to start no earlier than October 2004)
 

Concerns
- We are concerned about the front entrance of the condominium units facing Peterson Avenue.  We believe this entrance will cause an increased amount of traffic accidents and congestion.  We believe this would result from people stopping there to pick up and drop off development residents, thus obstructing the traffic flow on to the I-94 expressway entrance ramp.

- Others have expressed concerns about how this development will affect Sauganash School (which is already crowded).

- Edgebrook has expressed concerns about the effect it will have on the Happy Foods grocery store in the nearby Edgebrook shopping district.  We have spoke with a manager of Happy Foods and he said he is not concerned about the development.  He said that Happy Foods has prices that, historically, are considerably lower than Whole Foods and that Whole Foods serves an almost completely different market than they do.  Further, the city Department of Planning and Development said that the development would not have "a negative impact on Happy Foods in the long term."  A representative of the Edgebrook Community Association requested that an independent study be conducted on the development's impact on Happy Foods.

- In a letter to the Alderman, Edgebrook is also concerned that the buildings are not set back far enough to provide enough landscaping.

- Edgebrook also says in that letter to the Alderman that the projected sales prices of $159,000 to $365,000 for the condominiums appear to be below market value for what is being presented to the community as a "high-quality" project.

November 23, 2004