Homewood residents and a carpenter’s union representative addressed the village board Tuesday, Feb. 24, to share concerns over the transit-oriented redevelopment proposal by Holladay Properties for 2024 Chestnut Road (Village Hall parking lot) and 2066 Ridge Road (Matrix Building). 

Several residents took the stand to ask the board to reconsider the initial vote in favor of Holladay Properties as the process continues before the board makes its final decision on which developer to proceed with. 

One of the main points made by residents is the need for greenspace. Liz Varmecky with South Suburbs for Greenspace, who served on the village’s Transit-Oriented Development Citizens Commission was the first to speak.  

“Aside from the really valid points that Trustee Roman brought up last meeting about the cost of rent, which seems quite exorbitant for anybody who actually lives in Homewood, it’s more about, for me, what spaces are we creating,” Varmecky said. Roman noted at the Feb. 10 meeting that one unit in the Holladay plan would rent for more than $4,000 per month. Village staff noted that other units are planned for the $2,100 to $2,800 range. 

“I think that the Southland Development Authority’s proposal was the only one that actually took that into consideration,” Varmecky said, adding, “but Holladay’s proposal isn’t.” 

“If we are going to do these types of projects, I think a couple things are crucial, one is the greenspace. Being able to walk through your town and go to a park with well-designed greenspace, possibly with native plants, and some amenities,” Dave Ward said. 

Parking is another topic of concern with the proposals. 

“Parking I believe is a big issue in our town,” Ward said, adding, “to my knowledge there’s only one of the proposals that takes some of the sting off all the parking that we’re losing.” The revised SDA proposal calls for 41 public parking spaces in addition to resident and village public safety parking spots. 

“I’ve always viewed downtown Homewood as the gem of our community in terms of commercial development, and I think it should be developed for its highest and best use,” Mark Thompson said, adding, “taking an asphalt parking lot and a building and turning it into green space to me is not the highest and best use.”   

Union inclusion in the redevelopment project was also one of the main concerns expressed at the meeting. Members of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council filled the back half of the board room. The council represents over 55,000 members across five states, 100 of them residing in Homewood, Jonathan Kypuros, representative of Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, said. 

“Who builds a project is just as important as what gets built,” Kypuros said, adding, “Holladay Properties has a history of using contractors that do not pay area standards. Often, contractors that do not pay area standards, do not provide health insurance or any retirement payments for employees.” 

According to Angela Mesaros, Homewood economic and community development director, it is typically not up to municipalities to dictate whether developers use union workers or contractors. 

“We do intend on union inclusion for the Homewood redevelopment project, and look forward to collaborating with qualified contractors should Holladay be selected,” Drew Mitchell with Holladay Properties said. 

The other two developers still available to choose from are Southland Development Authority and Far South Community Development Corporation, which both submitted revised proposals during the village’s solicitation for alternate proposals. 

“While we do not mandate specific affiliations, we recognize the proven skill, reliability, and craftsmanship that union tradespeople and artisans contribute throughout the Southland,” David Agosto with Southland Development Authority said. 

“We are definitely committed to union inclusion for our proposals through a Project Labor Agreement,” Abraham Lacy, President of Far South Community Development Corporation said. 

The board will make a final decision at a future board meeting, possibly March 10.

Related stories

• Homewood receives revised proposals from 2 developers not selected as preferred (Feb. 26, 2026).
• Letter to the Editor: Selected redevelopment project doesn’t meet Homewood’s needs (Feb. 21, 2026).
• Homewood board makes a selection for transit-oriented development project (Feb. 12, 2026).
• Homewood board hears update on redevelopment proposals for Ridge Road and Chestnut Road sites (Feb. 2, 2026).
• Board receives update on downtown transit-oriented development proposals (Jan. 19, 2026).
• Homewood receives six proposals for property redevelopment of two locations (Dec. 12, 2025).
• Residents of Homewood oppose Harwood Avenue TIF District at April 8 public hearing (April 15, 2025).
• Homewood explores new downtown TIF option (Sept. 19, 2024).
• Residents question process used for parking lot redevelopment deal (Aug. 2, 2023).
• Homewood enters into letter of intent with developer interested in building on village hall parking lot (July 28, 2023).
• Homewood trustees authorize possible sale of Ridge Road property; mayor provides update on Kedzie TIF (July 9, 2022).
• Homewood trustees start negotiations with developer, approve parking variance (June 21, 2022).
• Townhomes to be developed in Homewood village hall lot (Dec. 18, 2018).