Political Squabble Sweeps Edison Park Multifamily Development In Its Wake
It's back to the drawing board for Troy Realty's plans to build a mid-scale apartment development on the Far Northwest side. The project was on the docket for the 41st Ward Zoning Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday before the ward's alderman, Anthony Napolitano, announced the meeting was canceled.
Troy Realty wants to build 44 apartments at 6655 North Oliphant Ave, along with a 156-space parking garage. The project's location is ideally suited for TOD status, but a zoning change would be required to get it off the ground and, under the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance, 10% of the units—four—would be set aside at 60% of their market value.
The project has pitted Napolitano against his political rival, 41st Ward committeeman Tim Heneghan, DNAInfo reports. During a June community meeting, the two engaged in a heated shouting match where Napolitano accused Heneghan of scaring residents into believing low-income housing would be built in the heart of Edison Park's business district. Heneghan disputed the charge and said he only wanted to draw attention to a project that would affect residents.
Napolitano said he tried to convince Troy Realty to build condos on the site, instead, to no avail. Troy Realty can present updated plans for the site during the next Zoning Advisory Committee meeting in September. [DNA]
