By Stephen Nelson
At a busy Frankfort Village Board meeting on February 5, trustees approved a major building project at the “Olde Frankfort Mall, at 15 Ash Street. The owner of the property proposes to construct a new three-story, 15,780-square-foot building addition, which would be added to the north and east facades of the existing building.
To accommodate the proposed development, the owner seeks the granting of a Special Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development (PUD), a Special Use Permit for a full-service restaurant with liquor sales, a variation for relief of all required off-street parking, preliminary/final development plan approval, and preliminary/final plat approval to combine the underlying lots.
Since the property is within the H-1 District, the project was reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission and a Certificate of Appropriateness for the architecture and building materials was granted on January 18, 2023, and again on April 19, 2023, for minor changes. At the June 8, 2023, public hearing on the project, the Plan Commission reviewed the site, landscape, architectural, and site photometrics plans for the project and discussed several conditions for its approval. The commission forwarded five unanimous (7-0) recommendations to the village board for the granting of the requests for the proposed new three-story mixed use development, with conditions.
At its June 22, 2023, meeting, the Plan Commission forwarded a unanimous (7-0) recommendation to the village board to approve the preliminary/final development plan. The proposed development was also reviewed at the July 12, 2023, and December 13, 2023, meetings of the Committee of the Whole. In addition to several conditions of approval, which were recommended by staff, there have only been two changes to the plans since the December 13 Committee of the Whole meeting: 1) The fenced outdoor seating areas on Kansas Street and Ash Street have been removed; and 2) The second-floor floor plan has been modified reflecting the minimum size of any residential unit be at least 875 square feet. As a result, there are now a total of seven residential units proposed.
The Frankfort Village Board also approved special use permits for a full-service restaurant with liquor sales and other development planned for a two-story building currently being renovated at 116 and 118 Kansas Street. Applicant Greg Baxtrom plans to relocate his restaurant “Petite Patate,” a French bistro, from New York City to the Village of Frankfort. The applicant intends to occupy the first floor of 116 and 118 Kansas Street and requests the granting of a Special Use Permit for a full-service restaurant with liquor sales to accommodate the operation of the restaurant in the H-1 Historic District.
Meanwhile, applicant Kevin Kreger, representing Fiddle Leaf Development Illinois, LLC, (property owner) currently is renovating the existing two-story, mixed-use building at 116 and 118 Kansas Street. The project consists of renovation of the existing building and construction of two new rear additions. The applicant proposes to operate a vacation rental above the 116 Kansas Street portion of the building, and a full-service restaurant would occupy the entire first floor of both 116 and 118 Kansas Street. Additionally, the second story of 118 Kansas Street will be an office end user, which is permitted-by-right in the H-1 Historic District.