Holladay Properties presented its plans for the redevelopment of the village hall parking lot at 2024 Chestnut Road at the April 9 Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, where the team received feedback prior to formal applications for development. 

Holladay Properties was selected as the preferred developer out of the three remaining proposals for the transit-oriented development of both 2024 Chestnut Road and 2066 Ridge Road at the Feb. 10 meeting. 

The board officially voted 5-1 to approve Holladay Properties for the development of both sites at the March 10 meeting. Staff is now in the process of negotiating a redevelopment, and purchase and sale agreement with the team. A review by the Planning and Zoning Commission is required before moving forward to final approval by the Board of Trustees.  

The development team explained the details of the layout of the 2024 Chestnut Road building. It will consist of 118 apartments in a five-story building with 2,000 square feet of retail space, along with an outdoor plaza, plus underground and ground-level parking, said Christopher Walsh, architect of Holladay Properties. 

CEO of Holladay Properties Drew Mitchell said the buildings will be designed with numerous amenities. 

The team plans to offer a vast amount of indoor and outdoor amenities. This includes a fitness center, a hotel-style lobby, a clubhouse that can be rented out and much more. The buildings are pet-friendly and will have a pet spa, Mitchell said. 

“There is great care and attention that is put into this experience,” Mitchell said, adding, “we want the building to feel alive all of the time.” 

Vice Chair Seth Bransky suggested having a sound and vibration study conducted for the building, considering it is right by the train. 

The windows are designed to be sound-proof, Walsh said. 

Sound insulation also is installed between units to minimize indoor noise as well, Mitchell said. 

“We celebrate how quiet our rooms are,” Mitchell said. 

Commission Member Maureen Alfonso inquired about the small retail space. 

“We felt that a small convenience opportunity would be the right thing to do. The last thing we want is space that can’t be filled,” Walsh said. 

The retail space for the Ridge Road site will be bigger, Walsh said. 

The main discussion of concern among the commission was the public’s perceived parking shortage issue in Homewood, and how the development plans address that. 

“We have a parking ratio of about almost 1.2, which is really where you want to be with these kinds of parking situations,” Walsh said. Each unit will come with one parking spot.

Additional parking spaces are not included with the apartments and are available for an additional fee, which helps discourage renters from keeping more than one vehicle, Walsh said.

There will be 133 total parking spaces for tenants. To the east of the parking garages there will be an area designated for village and public parking. The team also plans to acquire some diagonal public parking spaces along Chestnut, Walsh said. 

Chestnut could become a one-way street eastbound to alleviate congestion, as suggested by the 2019 village parking study, Homewood Assistant Economic & Community Development Director Noah Schumerth said. 

“I think it’s a wonderful project. I think it would be a good addition to Homewood,” Commission Member William O’Brien said. 

Holladay Properties will return to the commission at a future meeting to discuss details of the 2066 Ridge Road site.