Council denies plans for apartments, duplexes

GIBSON CITY — The city council Monday night rejected preliminary plans for the construction of two eight-unit apartment buildings and six senior eligible duplexes on three acres just west of the Villas of Holly Brook assisted-living facility and north of Gibson City-Melvin

Sibley Middle School.

The proposed residential development on the city’s north side would have been built by Justin Goss of Goss Rental Properties, who planned to buy the three acres from the Villas of Holly Brook. Monday’s 6-2 vote to reject plans for the project does not prevent Goss from resubmitting them, but Mayor Dan Dickey said modifications would be required.

Following a public hearing, the city’s planning commission voted 6-2 — with Chris Cornish and Betsy Hammitt in dissent — to not recommend approval of the preliminary plans, which included a map showing the proposed locations of each of the six duplex buildings and two apartment buildings.

Before the council voted Monday to uphold the commission’s July 15 advisory vote, the commission’schairman, Chase McCall, provided a formal written statement outlining the reasons for denial.

The first was a concern about the location, which the planning commission deemed to be inappropriate based on the traffic patterns in the area, McCall said. Commissioners raised safety concerns for pedestrians and drivers, especially around GCMS Middle School, with the anticipated increase in vehicular traffic.

“The location of the project will cause disruption of traffic patterns on 19th street,” McCall said. “We will see more traffic — which ties into the middle school, which ties into the bus routes and pedestrians. All of that was considered.”

McCall added that there were concerns, too, about further traffic congestion during pickup and dropoff times on school days. With additional residents living in the proposed apartments and duplexes, there was also a concern about access and safety for the staff and resident seniors at the nearby Villas of Holly Brook, 1400 N. Melvin St.

A lack of access points to the three-acre area was another concern, McCall said, noting that only one street allows egress to the proposed development. That would be a problem for emergency vehicles, McCall said.

A written statement from the commission explaining the denial stated that the site did not demonstrate adequate turning radii, road width or secondary access points required for fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles, posing a serious public safety risk in the event of an emergency.

“There is one way in and one way out,” McCall said. “Not to mention, the only access is through a private drive at Holly Brook. So, the only access is through 19th Street and then they would have to drive through Holly Brook’s parking lot, then take a left toward the proposed plot. The planning commission thought they are probably going to have inadequate provisions for safety vehicles.”

McCall said all members of the public who spoke during the July 15 hearing were opposed to the development.

At the hearing, there was discussion of Goss needing a variance to build the proposed two eight-unit apartment buildings on the three acres. Addressing the issue during Monday’s council meeting, Goss’ attorney, Adam Crutchley of Paxton-based Martensen, Niemann & Galvin LLC, asserted that the demand was a misinterpretation of a rule in the city’s zoning ordinance only applying to a single row of homes, not a multifamily dwelling.

Also Monday, Goss weighed in before the council’s vote, reading from the city’s strategic plan, which states that the city should encourage residential and economic development.

“Gibson has done a lot of work and gone to the trouble of setting up the TIF (tax-increment financing) districts and enterprise zones,” Goss told the council. “In the economic development section of the strategic plan, it says, ‘Make development affordable and encourage singleand multi-family homes, and develop more multi-unit residences.’ You have a developer that wants to do what you are recommending. And yet you are voting against it.”

Added Goss: “As far as the problem with emergency vehicles, you just approved a subdivision that has the same situation — it has a cul-de-sac at the end — and it’s fine there but not fine for my development?” Goss was referring to Phase III of the Railside Estates subdivision, which earlier received the approval of both the commission and council.

Goss also said he believes traffic would not be a problem.

“I would expect any development that comes anywhere near this area is going to be voted ‘no,” Goss said, “because they don’t want to attract any more traffic. There’s traffic for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 in the afternoon, eight months out of the year.”

Goss said his proposed development is “something the community needs.”

“I have put a lot of time into this,” Goss said. “(Villas of Holly Brook owner and Chief Executive Officer) Hadley (Phillips) has put a lot of time into this. I think we have put together a good site plan that would be a good benefit to the city. I have heard some people make points that it’s not the right location for it; I would argue that it would be the perfect location for it.”

Goss said the existing TIF district would be crucial to the success of the development.

“The TIF is absolutely necessary for this to happen,” Goss said. “This is not the Champaign market where I can get big rent money. If I have to put all the money into the land and the infrastructure and the roads, it’s just not possible without the TIF. I don’t know if people realize how difficult it is to do a development like this. To pick another spot, it takes years and years for a development to happen. I have spent the last five years looking for other places in Gibson to try to find somewhere to do it. I own apartments here in Gibson, and I get calls all the time from people who have taken a job at the school, at the hospital, and they cannot find anywhere to live. So I am trying to answer what I see as a need in this community and provide that housing for them. I would argue that area is the perfect spot in town for this to happen.”

Goss’ attorney had other arguments to present. Regarding access by emergency vehicles, Crutchley noted: “The city has shown it is willing to accept (the lack of easy access) in other areas, so it is not a valid reason for this not to move forward, at least in a preliminary standpoint.” Crutchley suggested that Goss could tailor the plans to include access before final approval.

Crutchley used the same reasoning to refute the concerns about the proximity to the middle school and the increase in traffic.

“Right now, the traffic is not great — people are blowing through stop signs — but the school was OK for previous developments, so why object now?” Crutchley asked.

Crutchley suggested that Goss could include plans to add speed bumps and a flashing stop sign to appease the objectors.

“How can we fix it now so we can continue to develop and make the area safer?” Crutchley asked. “These are things that can be overcome from preliminary to final approval. We can find a way (to) make it a win-win situation.”

The Villas of Holly Brook’s Phillips added his endorsement of the project.

“Dad and I and our partners built the Villas in 2015,” Phillips said. “There are 50 units now, but we developed it to accommodate 80 units. Our building can be expanded. The code allows it as soon as we turn in the permit. This site is capable of handling additional traffic. Half of the three acres are specifically designed to have duplexes on them. It is hard to make just duplexes on the land. That is the reason my partners and I have not done anything. We can’t make the numbers work. You have to have a higher population density to make it work.

“We were not looking to expand, but we could. We have considered putting a memory (care) unit on the building because we want to see a continuum of care on that property. I want (residents age) 55-plus on that property, and I know to make the numbers work you need professionals (in the apartments). If we could do (residents age) 55-plus in the duplexes and a mix in the apartments, I think that stair-stepping from (the Railside Estates) subdivision to senior housing up to an 80- unit assisted-living (facility) makes total sense. That is what we designed that property for: high-density use. We can move the parts and pieces to address the EMS concerns — that’s a construction thing.”

Phillips added that he and Goss were in agreement on the appearance and intent of the buildings proposed.

“I went to him and said, ‘This needs to be upscale,’” Phillips said. “We run a private-pay family-owned, faith-based facility, and I don’t want riff-raff in my backyard. I want it to be landscaped nicely. I want nice exterior finishes. I want granite countertops. We like to set a certain standard in our business, and we want to see Justin do the same thing. If we could make this a safe and upgraded investment, it would be silly to turn away from it.”

Finally, Dr. David Hagan spoke Monday as a concerned citizen. Hagan earlier spoke before the planning commission.

“My concerns were endorsed by everyone in the room (at the July 15 meeting),” Hagan said. “(Traffic) is not just ‘15 minutes twice a day.’ If you sit there very long, you will see people go through the stop sign coming out of Holly Brook on a regular basis. If you put apartments in there, you are going to multiply that ten-fold. And while they may have high standards, they could sell that property two years from now. We have no idea who will own that in 10 years. I hope to be still living there in 10 years.”

After discussion, the council voted 6-2 to uphold the commission’s decision, with Aldermen Denis Fisher and Ray Hankes in dissent.

Afterward, the mayor told the Chronicle that Goss could reapply but suggested that the plan include only the duplexes. In response, Goss said he did not see how the development could work economically without the apartment component. Subdivision plans OK’d

Earlier during Monday’s meeting, the council gave speedy approval to former state senator and developer Bill Brady’s request to allow construction on the east-facing 12 lots in Phase III of the Railside Estates subdivision, which the planning commission had endorsed at its July 15 meeting, contingent on drainage work being completed. The final tie-in between Phases II and III was finished Friday, July 25, according to Superintendent of Wastewater and Sewer John Bobera. With no discussion, the council voted 8-0 to approve the plan.

New wastewater truck purchase approved

Also Monday, Bobera requested that the council approve the purchase of a 2026 Ford F-250 pickup truck for $62,000. Bobera said he had saved a few thousand dollars off the purchase price by eliminating some unnecessary features on the vehicle and using a third party to install its tool box and plow.

The truck would add a fourth vehicle to the fleet for the wastewater department. Of the existing three vehicles, two are small V6-engine trucks while one is a 2006 Ford Econoline van, Bobera said. The van does not meet the department’s needs, he said, noting that a larger truck is needed, too.

“This truck will help us do bigger jobs,” Bobera said.

After the council voted to approve Bobera’s request via an 8-0 vote, resident David Walton — who has been a regular attendee at council meetings for months, ever since he asked the city council for drainage issues on his property to be addressed — made a comment.

“I have been waiting for eight months for the city to help with drainage on my property,” Walton said. “It floods and nothing has been done. But they are able to buy a new truck for the sewage department?”

In reply, Bobera said: “The truck is a different line item. But your situation is being addressed. I have driven by the property at every rain event and taken pictures. I have seen no substantial puddling of any kind. Unfortunately, maybe prior to me, there might have been some misinformation given about how to solve the problem. We are solving it step by step, but it takes time.”

Parks and recreation committee report

On behalf of the council’s parks, recreation and technology committee, Alderman Sara Sarantakos gave a report. She said the city would be submitting a fifth, amended application to the Illinois Department of Public Health for approval of plans for the city’s proposed new swimming pool. Sarantakos said her committee would be meeting again at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 31, at City Hall, 101 E. 8th St., to discuss progress on the pool project and the possibility of installing electronic locks on public facilities around the city.

Summer Bash gets liquor permit

Aldermen also voted Monday to approve a special event liquor license for Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services’ fifth annual Summer Bash on Saturday, Aug. 16. The license fee is $25. The outdoor nighttime concert in downtown Gibson City will be headlined by the famed rock band Foreigner.