How developers plan to fit 7-story apartment complex in heart of downtown Wheaton

Plans for a seven-story apartment building in downtown Wheaton have been touted as a catalyst for renewal in a long-overlooked area southeast of the Metra train station.

But that premium location also has created real estate challenges for developers.

The project would require demolishing four buildings on the city block bordered by Liberty Drive, Hale Street, Willow and Wheaton avenues.

In their place, the 306-unit complex would be built “relatively close” to four other adjacent buildings, city planners said, raising questions about how neighbors would deal with a large-scale construction project.

“We do not have the entire block,” said Phil Luetkehans, an attorney representing developers. “We have negotiated for that and have been unable to purchase those buildings. I know one of the concerns is how are we going to build near those buildings without causing any kind of damage.”

Luetkehans and the project’s engineer addressed those concerns at a planning and zoning board hearing April 26. The advisory panel has not yet weighed in on the proposal by Banner Real Estate Group.

“The project will be built to the highest safety standards and is consistent with the uses in the nearby area and the trend of development to the south of the railroad tracks in downtown Wheaton,” Luetkehans said.

The four buildings slated for demolition include the Egg Harbor Cafe restaurant, a four-story office building formerly occupied by Wheaton Bank & Trust, the Perfect Thing consignment store and a house also used as offices on Willow Avenue. Egg Harbor Cafe would move into a 4,500-square-foot, first-floor space in the new building.

Banner Real Estate Group is seeking zoning relief for the building’s height, among several other variations. The residential complex would contain five stories of units on top of a two-story indoor parking garage. City code allows a maximum height of four stories or 50 feet in the underlying zoning districts.

A portion of the complex would stand two stories tall along Hale Street.

“In addition, architectural detailing on the first and second floors around the perimeter of the structure will allow the building to read more as a six-story building,” city planners wrote in a staff memo.

“Really what you’re talking about is commercial uses surrounding this property other than two single-family homes,” Luetkehans said.

At the southwest corner at Wheaton and Willow, developers proposed a minimum setback of 10 feet from the property line to the building.

“We’ve got a very experienced team constructing these types of buildings in much tighter spaces than what we have here, so we’re not anticipating any issues there,” said Aaron Bruder, a project manager at CAGE Civil Engineering.

Several neighbors have voiced objections to the height.

“Roughly 32 units on the south of the proposed development will now have full view of our backyard, bathroom, bedrooms, living room and kitchen and those of our neighbors’,” Lou Blazeski and Betsy Prange said in a written message to city officials.

More broadly, some residents have questioned the demand for downtown apartments. An online search shows ReNew Wheaton Center has 29 units available and Wheaton 121 has nine, Blazeski and Betsy Prange wrote.

“Does Wheaton need another 306 dwellings?” they asked.

Luetkehans said the development would provide additional housing for empty nesters and commuters who need easy access to the train station.

“That’s what makes this really kind of exciting for Wheaton,” he said.