11-unit project for Central Avenue gets nod from split City Council

A proposed multifamily building is now one step closer to being built in downtown Highland Park, but as the plans have evolved, so has their opposition.

In a 5-2 vote, the Highland Park City Council approved on Monday, Jan. 12, the drafting of final documents for a six-story, 11-unit multifamily building on Central Avenue.

As previously reported by The Record, the proposed building at 734 Central Ave., at the corner of Central Avenue and McGovern Street, will include a lobby and parking on the ground floor within the structure, and 11 units (one affordable-housing unit) on the second through fifth floors.

The sixth floor, according to Joel Fontane, Highland Park’s director of community development, is being proposed to include two penthouses with roof access and pergola structures.

“The sixth floor is not a full footprint floor,” Fontane said. “It is a sixth floor … however it does not consist of the entirety of that area of the building below it.”

After the council first reviewed the proposal in May 2025, Fontane said the development team has revised the plans to include brick pavers for the sidewalk, which is reportedly consistent with the city’s streetscape plan, and additional shrubs. During the council’s previous discussion, it was noted that trees were not recommended by the city forester because the area is too narrow.

But the most substantial change is an increase in the volume of the penthouses that are being proposed for the sixth story. The area of the penthouses increased from 193 square feet in the initial plan to a total of 697 square feet.

Fontane noted that the height of the building, which is proposed at 69 feet, did not change, but because of the increase in size, the plans had to go through the city’s review process again. Last month, on Dec. 16, he said the city’s Plan & Design Commission recommended approval of the project 5-1.

Nate Kipnis, the project’s architect, explained that the original plan was to use the units only for rooftop access, but as development continued, it was discovered that was not an ADA-compliant plan.

To address that, he said the rooms were expanded and space for an elevator that goes from the fifth floor to the sixth floor was added.

“They can put in a light-use elevator,” Kipnis said. “It’s a private elevator just for the fifth floor to get up to that area, if they even need it.”

Addressing a question from Councilmember Annette Lidawer, attorney Cal Bernstein, representing the developer, said the fifth floor will have a 15-foot setback, with the penthouse having that setback, plus an additional 4 1/2 feet.

Bernstein also said that the neighboring businesses support the plans, and that the project has not received any comments from the public, either written or in-person at public hearings.

Lidawer, whose questions mostly dealt with the setbacks and renderings of the plans, ultimately voted against moving the project forward; though she did not directly state a reason. In May 2025, she voted to advance the plans.

Councilmember Anthony Blumberg, who was the sole council vote against the initial plans, said that his opinion hadn’t changed and reiterated that opposition.

“The height requires setbacks (and) there is a setback at the top,” he said. “I don’t think the setback at the fifth floor is one I’m comfortable with.”

While Councilmember Yumi Ross ended up voting to advance the plans, she did share her concerns that this was going to set a precedent for a bulkier Central Avenue.

“My concern is that, over time, there’s just a wall of buildings on Central Avenue,” she said.

The plans will return to the council at a future date for final approval, according to city staff.

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