Habitat Company’s Highland Park Proposal Turns Up Heat

Highland Park isn’t ready to commit to plans for the old Solo Cup site just yet.

The city council reviewed plans this week for a 227-townhome community on the 28-acre property at 1700 Deerfield Road, signaling tentative support while ordering more revisions before a final vote, the Record reported. Staff will draft documents for a preliminary rezoning approval, moving the project from industrial to residential.

The proposal, from Chicago-based Habitat Company on behalf of Red Cup Land Company, would create a 48-building community anchored by a clubhouse, walking trail and nine acres of green space. Thirty-four units would be reserved for households earning the area’s median income under Highland Park’s inclusionary housing rules.

If approved, construction could begin this spring and take up to two years, said Habitat vice president Zack Zalar. Before starting construction, the developer must clear another round of engineering reviews, satisfy environmental regulators about potential industrial contamination and answer lingering questions about density and traffic.

This hasn’t been an easy win.

Monday’s four-hour meeting drew more than 50 attendees, echoing six prior hearings before the city’s Plan and Design Commission, which narrowly recommended approval last month after 17 hours of deliberations. Some residents oppose the project’s bulk and impact on traffic.

Habitat has already scaled the project down from an initial 262 homes, but Zalar said the developer won’t cut further. The city is pressing instead for refinements: accessible trails, EV chargers, assurances that construction will be completed even if delays emerge, and a second traffic study once the homes are occupied.

The site has a contentious backstory. A 500-unit complex from Interforum Holdings pitched in 2018 went nowhere, and a subsequent plan for a 300,000-square-foot warehouse complex from Red Cup Land Company also failed to win city approval. That history weighed on Monday’s debate, with several officials warning that rejecting Habitat’s proposal could open the door to less palatable options.

Council member Andrés Tapia said that while the plan isn’t perfect, it may strike the best balance between growth pressures and community concerns. The council will take up preliminary approval at a future meeting, with final consideration likely by end of year.

— Eric Weilbacher