Arlington Hts. panel cool to townhouses.(News)

Developers say they will continue to try to persuade Arlington Heights officials to allow a new townhouse development in an area surrounded by hotels and industrial-type businesses, despite a negative reaction Wednesday from three village plan commissioners.
Officials with Arlington Heights-based RBR Properties-Insignia Homes are proposing an 83-unit townhouse development on the north side of Algonquin Road and west of Arlington Heights Road. The 8.8 acres has about six houses on it now, some of which are abandoned. The land is zoned for business use.
Developers have proposed residential uses for the area before but have always drawn mixed reactions from village trustees. Village officials said they'd like to see the land, which sits between the Arlington Heights Animal Hospital and Courtyard by Marriott, have a business use.
That opinion was shared by three members of the village's plan commission who also sit on the commission's plat and subdivision committee. Their early assessment was that townhouses would not fit in with the surrounding neighbors.
Bill Rotolo, president of RBR Properties-Insignia Homes, said he plans to bring the proposal before the full plan commission and ultimately the village board.
It would require several variations from the village's zoning code as well as an amendment to the village's comprehensive plan that calls for commercial use for the property.
Developers said some of their reasons for persisting include the possibility of a commuter STAR train line using the Northwest Tollway as a new commuter route.
Supported by a number of Northwest suburban mayors, the proposed Metra service is in line to get federal funds, developers said. The property is just northwest of the Northwest Tollway.
Rotolo said many older communities, like Chicago and Evanston, are redeveloping old commercial areas for residential use. Rotolo said it allows people to not have to rely on cars to get around. It would also be a gated community, a new concept to Arlington Heights.
"We are using this product in a number of older suburbs," Rotolo said. "The demand is huge."
Prices for the townhouses would be about $450,000 each, and units would be marketed to "empty-nesters" and young professionals. But the three plan commission members on the committee said they had concerns about creating an isolated pocket of houses surrounded by businesses