The Homewood Village Board approved a zoning map amendment for a mixed-use building at 18106-18124 Martin Ave., shifting the property from the B-1 Downtown Core district to the B-2 Downtown Transition district at Tuesday’s meeting.
The B-1 district is a small area that is primarily retail and restaurants, whereas the B-2 district allows “more uses and flexibility,” said Angela Mesaros, Homewood’s Director of Economic and Community Development.
The change was requested by Yan “Grace” Cui of Park Ridge, who recently purchased the 0.69-acre property at the northwest corner of Martin Avenue and Hickory Road. The site includes 11 ground-floor commercial tenants and 16 apartments on the upper floors, Mesaros said.
The board’s approval follows a unanimous 5-0 recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, which reviewed the request during an Oct. 23 public hearing. Commissioners found the proposal met all applicable standards in the village’s zoning code and was consistent with the surrounding land-use pattern, she said.
According to Mesaros, the building, which was constructed in 1981, has been commercially zoned since Homewood’s original zoning ordinance was adopted in 1929. Under the village’s updated zoning code adopted in 2023, the property had been placed in the B-1 Downtown Core district, despite previously carrying a B-2 designation under the former ordinance.
The B-2 zoning better matches the surrounding area, and the property meets all the standards for the B-2 district, she said.
