Neighborhood Unanimously Opposes Apartment Building, Unanimously Complains There's Nowhere Affordable to Live

Residents of the Elmwood Heights neighborhood packed a municipal zoning hearing Thursday to unanimously oppose a proposed 60-unit apartment building on Maple Avenue, then gave interviews to local media in the parking lot expressing bewilderment at the area's escalating housing costs. 'This building would destroy the character of our neighborhood,' said longtime resident Barbara Easement, 63, who purchased her home in 1994 for $85,000. 'We moved here for the single-family charm. If they want apartments, they should build them somewhere else. Also, my daughter can't afford to live within thirty miles of here, and I genuinely don't understand why.' The proposed development, a four-story mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 60 residential units — 12 of which would be designated affordable — was opposed on grounds including traffic, parking, building height, shadow impact, 'the general vibe,' and what one speaker described as 'a feeling.' 'I don't have specific data,' admitted resident Don Setback during his public comment. 'But I feel like this will lower property values. Also, I feel like it will raise my taxes. Also, I feel like there will be too many people. These feelings are valid and should be treated as evidence.' The developer, who has attempted to build housing on the Maple Avenue parcel three times in six years, presented traffic studies, shadow analyses, and an economic impact report showing the project would generate $1.2 million in annual tax revenue. Attendees responded by questioning the studies' methodology, the developer's character, and 'whether we really need more people.' Planning commissioner Rachel Variance cast the lone vote in favor. 'We have blocked every proposed housing development in this district for the past eight years,' she said. 'During that time, median rent has increased 94 percent. I am going to suggest, gently, that these two facts are related.' She was booed.