Why Des Plaines annexed an acre along East River Road
With an eye on redevelopment, the Des Plaines City Council on Monday agreed to annex land on the suburb's northeast side.
A real estate developer wants to build a 16-unit townhouse complex on the property at 180 N. East River Road.
A vacant house described in city documents as "dilapidated," a free-standing garage and two sheds are there now and will be razed.
The nearly one-acre site had been in an unincorporated part of Maine Township.
Developers with a company called MAS Land Investments 2 plan to construct four 3-story townhouse buildings on the land, which is on the west side of East River Road. The property is just north of the Insignia Glen townhouse development in Des Plaines. The buildings would resemble the Insignia Glen homes, documents indicate.
The city council discussed the proposal during a public hearing Monday night. Afterward, the council approved a plan for annexation and development. The council also approved some necessary bureaucratic elements of the proposal, including rezoning the land to allow townhouses to be build there.
The property is in the city's 1st Ward, and its alderman, Mark Lysakowski, enthusiastically supported the proposal Monday night.
So did 4th Ward Alderman Dick Sayad, who was particularly pleased entering each unit won't require climbing a lot of steps.
"This is beautiful," Sayad said of the architectural design shown during the public hearing.
The developer already owns the land and soon will apply for a demolition permit, said Ryan Johnson, the city's assistant community development director.