Walgreens Has to Be Denied

Low-Intensity Office Low-Intensity office uses typically include professional services such as medical, dental, legal and accounting. These uses are sensitive to their context in terms of scale, height, setback and building materials. This requires consideration of parking, loading, signage, lighting and business operations.

Neighborhood Commercial Neighborhood commercial areas function to provide residents with convenient, day-to-day goods and services within a short walk or drive from their homes. Neighborhood commercial areas should be comprised of a mix of retail, service and office uses that cater to a local population. These areas may be anchored by a grocery store accompanied by a variety of other smaller retailers such as gas stations, dry cleaners, convenience stores, banks, and restaurants. Providing these daily goods and services close to home is an amenity to nearby residents and serves to reduce automobile trips. It is recommended that small nodes of neighborhood commercial development should exist throughout the Village at the intersection of primary roadways (arterials and collectors) to serve nearby residential areas.

Above are two definitions from the Village of Downers Comprehensive Plan that was adopted by the Village earlier this year.

The issue is that someone has petitioned the Village to build a Walgreens at the corner of 63rd and Woodward Ave.  This area has been zoned Low Intensity Office.  By the Villages own definition a Walgreens is not Low Intensity.  A Walgreens does however fit in the Neighborhood Commercial zoning.

I believe that the Village planners recognized that the corner of 63rd and Woodward is dangreous and can't handle as much traffic as a Walgreens would bring to the intersection.  The Village planners got it right.

Now it is up to the Village Council to make the final decision.  Will they follow thier own plan or will they ignore it. 

I have seen what ignoring ordinances and residents leads to and the outcome is never good.

I served on a board where ordinances where often ignored and the end result was disastrous. 

I hope the same is not in store for the Village and the residents of unincorporated Downers Grove.