We first professed our appreciation of NIMBYs (“Not In My Back Yard”) four years ago, in our post of 04.21.08 addressing an attempt to open a PADS homeless shelter.

Back then a group of local church officials and some City politicians, led by then-mayor Howard Frimark, wanted to ignore the City’s Zoning Code and stick the shelter in the basement of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.  But a group of NIMBYs loudly challenged that plan (and a subsequent one for St. Paul of the Cross school) on a variety of grounds, including zoning considerations; and their efforts quickly captured the attention and support of residents throughout the City for enforcement of the zoning requirements that ultimately kept the PADS shelter out of Park Ridge.

Now a new NIMBY cause celebre has arisen in response to the Whole Foods store planned for the corner of Touhy and Washington. 

The NIMBYs oppose the zoning change known as a “map amendment” – from R-5 (multi-family residential) to B-1 (retail and office) – that passed through the City’s Planning & Zoning Commission last Tuesday night by a vote of 9-0, and which now moves to the City Council for final approval.  The site is currently occupied by: (a) a long-time vacant, 2-story 76,000 square foot office building at 225 W. Touhy Ave.; (b) a long-time vacant 2-story 30,000 square foot office building at 1 S. Washington Ave.; and (c) 269 parking spaces. 

The proposed Whole Foods store would be a 1.5 story, 38,000 square foot structure.  According to the proposed site plan, the Advocate health care office building immediately east of the site on Touhy and the medical office building immediately south of the site on Washington would remain.

A number of neighborhood residents (i.e., the NIMBYs) and a few residents from outside the neighborhood have sounded the alarm on this project, raising concerns about traffic, congestion and safety – especially of the children who have to cross an already pedestrian un-friendly Touhy Ave. when walking to and from nearby St. Paul of the Cross elementary school.  Ironically, some of the opponents to this new zoning change from R-5 to B-1 opposed the change from B-1 to R-5 for the same site back in 2007, when this same developer, along with Norwood Builders, tried to construct a 4-building, 168-unit condominium complex there. 

But real estate market forces made that project unworkable, and so the developer is coming back to the well with a new concept believed to be better suited to the changed real estate market.

As we wrote in our 02.01.12: “[W]e welcome the idea of a Mariano’s and/or Whole Foods locating in areas that otherwise might prove alluring to yet more multi-family residential developers.”  And, frankly, we see almost all pluses from replacing a total of 106,000 square feet of perennially-vacant office space with 38,000 square feet of retail space, especially the higher-end kind of retail that Whole Foods represents.

In response to NIMBY complaints, the developers claim to have looked at other sites in Park Ridge but that none would accommodate the kind of store Whole Foods wants for Park Ridge.  Assuming the developers are telling the truth, that casts the issue as a simple up-or-down one: Does Park Ridge want a Whole Foods or not?

Assuming the answer to that up-or-down question is “yes,” it should still be incumbent on the City to do whatever it can – notwithstanding the limitations that come from Touhy and Northwest Hwy. being state roads over which IDOT has principal authority – to address any real problems and dangers that arise from turning underperforming property into what we hope will become a thriving retail business.  That means analyzing and balancing all the competing interests in a deliberate, well-reasoned and wise manner, relying on facts rather than anecdotes and mere opinion whenever possible. 

Coping with increased traffic – both vehicular and pedestrian – in that area would appear to be the most significant challenge, one that will require a lot of attention and, perhaps, some innovation.

By raising these issues the Whole Foods NIMBYs already have provided a valuable service to the community.  But that shouldn’t be the end of it.  Should the project be approved by the City Council, we sincerely hope that the NIMBYs will work with the City and the developer to minimize those problems instead of simply taking their ball and going home.

Because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.  And the first order of business is to do what’s best for the community as a whole.

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