Skokie is selling a parcel of downtown land to a private developer at a discount as village officials say it’s an investment in the town’s future.
The Village Board on Sept. 8 gave preliminary approval to sell the land to Morton Grove-based NeaMaya Developments, which plans to build an 18-unit apartment building with ground floor commercial space on the site. The sale is scheduled for a final vote Wednesday.
The parcel is located in the 8100 block of Lincoln Avenue between the Swift Child Care facility and Al’s Cycle Shop. NeaMaya plans to use the ground floor commercial space as a showroom, said Village Manager John Lockerby.
The building has been approved by the village’s appearance and plan commissions and the site plan was approved by the Village Board in 2019, Lockerby said. The developer has agreed to pay $60,000 to Skokie’s downtown parking fund “as a permitted option” because it is four parking spaces shy of what is required by zoning, he said.
For some, the move does not do enough to promote affordable housing in the suburb.
“I’m disappointed that yet another multifamily building is going up in Skokie on city-owned land that is going to be all housing for the luxury market,” said Gail Schechter, a longtime affordable housing advocate. “We want Skokie to be a destination for people of all ages, ethnicities and incomes in all parts of the village.”
Skokie officials want to pump economic life into the town’s downtown core and have created downtown TIFs and snapped up valuable parcels of land for future development over the years.
Earlier this year, 8000 North Lincoln Avenue opened with 153 luxury apartments, which are leased. Skokie also entered into a development agreement with Chicago-based E&M Strategic Developments to build a 141-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel and Conference Center on the former Sanford Brown College site at 4930 Oakton Street.
Other downtown projects include a mixed-use residential and retail building at 5010 Warren Street with eight condos and commercial space, a 42-apartment building with commercial space at 8025 Skokie Boulevard, 16 traditional and live-work townhomes at 8102 Floral Avenue and four townhomes with commercial space at 8163 Lincoln Avenue.
Lockerby said the city bought the land in the 8100 block of Lincoln Avenue for future development in 2009 and is selling it to NeaMaya Developments for $292,000. The 9,795-square-foot lot was appraised this year for $365,000.
Matt Brandmeyer, community development director with the village, said the property needs water and sewer improvements and that the village sees the sale as an investment in downtown Skokie.
“Once you have control of the property, you can kind of set out exactly how you want it to be developed as opposed to potentially getting into a bidding war, or a developer coming in on their own purchasing (the land) and proposing something that might not fit within the community,” Brandmeyer said. “If we acquire the property, own the property, then we have the say in how it’s developed and I think that’s unfolded quite well for the village.”
Mayor George Van Dusen said he respects Schechter and her affordable housing advocacy, but sees Skokie as having a good affordable housing record. He said the Illinois Housing Development Authority is building 16 units of low and moderate income housing in the village.
“The market is working as we have encouraged it to work because the village does support lower and moderate income housing,” Van Dusen said. “We have for decades. Our philosophy has always been that if you work in the village, you should be able to afford to live here and I think we’ve done a pretty good job.”
He said the village’s biggest challenge is figuring out a way to encourage owners of low and moderate income housing to rehab their property because they are rundown and outdated.
“We’ve got a couple of ideas that we’ve been kicking around and hopefully we will have something to present to the Village Board at some point,” Van Dusen said.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.
