The pedestrian (as in dull) condo project that has been under a fits-and-starts construction timeline since 2017 on South Boulevard just east of Oak Park Avenue has just received its sixth extension of a construction deadline from the Oak Park Village Board.
Blame it on Covid. Blame it on supply chains. Blame it the past two years on interest rates. Blame it on a bad developer.
But this situation is fundamentally ridiculous. Which is why we are with Trustee Lucia Robinson who was the sole vote against the latest extension.
Her point is that this additional extension, which carried a puny $2,000 fine, is entirely driven by the developer’s desire to reel in a few more condo buyers by offering them the opportunity to customize their units rather than buy one off the shelf. This is a marketing decision not a construction problem, she says. And if this delay holds back sales and property taxes, then the developer ought to pay more substantially for this privilege.
We agree. And we will watch the village board reconsider this process in 2024.