BY KATHY ROUTLIFFE
STAFF WRITER

Skokie trustees Monday approved the first mixed-use residential and retail project in Skokie’s West Dempster redevelopment area.

The two-building plan for the 8800 block of Niles Center Road differed from that approved by the Skokie Plan Commission Feb. 6.

It still has the six-story, residential-retail building planned by developer Fortune Group of Skokie, but a commercial building to rise just north of the McDonald’s restaurant and south of the condominiums will be two stories instead of one.

Plan Commission Chairman Paul Luke said the 3,500-square-foot commercial building was reconfigured because part of the site had to be dedicated for state road improvements along Niles Center Road.

Neighbor Stephen Dakoff, of the 4800 block of West Enfield Street, asked the village to help keep traffic leaving the development’s parking lot out of an east-west alley. Many cars already use that alley to get from Niles Center to Bronx Avenue, to avoid lights at Niles Center and Dempster Street, he said.

He asked if the parking lot could have only one entry, off Enfield Street.

But Peter Peyer, the village’s community development director, said the village wants two exits.

“If someone came in and the lot was full, without a second exit they would have to back out onto the street, which would be dangerous.”

He told Dakoff the village could work with the developers to angle the alley exit, to make it more difficult to turn left.

Dakoff said neighbors are worried about heavier traffic along Enfield, as well as in the alley.

The developer plans 70 two- and three-bedroom condominiums in the six-story building. He estimated purchase prices would be between the high-$200,000s and the mid-$400,000s.

In addition to commercial space in the smaller building, the condominium building will have 4,000 square feet of first-floor retail.