La Grange Historic Building Demolition Delayed Again

LA GRANGE, IL – A Cook County judge last week ordered a further delay in the demolition of the Jackson Square antique mall because of a neighbor's lawsuit.

Last month, Judge Renee Jackson issued a temporary restraining order on the teardown at 112 E. Burlington Ave. through a June 2 court hearing.

At the hearing, she extended the order through June 30.

The demolition had originally been scheduled to start May 18.

In April, next-door neighbor Jonathan Robinson sued the developer and the village, seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the demolition.

"If I am understanding the basic idea correctly, the village and developer elected to push off the injunction hearing," Robinson said in an email to Patch on Wednesday.

Both the village and the developer, Dan Spain, owner of La Grange's The Elm restaurant, asked the judge to throw out the lawsuit.

"The judge basically set up the month of June for the lawyers to go back and forth on responses to the motion to dismiss," Robinson said.

Patch left messages for comment Wednesday with the village and the developer. The village said it could not comment on a pending legal matter.

In January, the Village Board voted unanimously for the teardown to make way for a 39-unit condo complex. Many residents objected.

In his lawsuit, Robinson alleged the village's approval failed to adhere to minimal setbacks and loading space requirements.

He also contended the village failed to give him a "meaningful opportunity" to detail how the proposed four-story complex would pose hardships on his property.