PETITION TO STOP the Encore Center for Performing Arts (ECPA) Apartment Development on First Street in Elmhurst

We, the residents, taxpayers and stakeholders, want to preserve what remains of our downtown charm and history and say NO to a 185-unit, towering apartment building containing an unproven, financially risky 26,000 square foot performing arts center on First Street. We do not want our tax dollars supporting the construction of the complex or the survival of a non-profit.

BACKGROUND

The City of Elmhurst has fast-tracked and incentivized immense downtown apartment complexes while ECPA has pushed for a theater, and they have been planning behind closed doors for a decade. The shocking ECPA apartment proposal that appeared in April of 2025 differed greatly from the 2016 rendering ECPA promoted for years, and ECPA leadership had stated City assistance would not be needed. Suddenly, a theater is only possible within a large development, wiping out almost an entire city block, to "make the project financially ​viable.” Laura Michaud, ECPA Board Secretary.

September 9th, 2025 Jeff Budgell, ECPA architect and Board President posted a letter on the Facebook group, Elmhurst, IL News and Comment, stating "every great community project starts with a conversation," but that time has come and gone as he chose to keep it an exclusive, closed conversation. Also exclusive are his roles as City Architecture Commissioner and Elmhurst City Centre President, both which constitute a conflict of interest and could improperly and quickly influence project outcomes.

SUMMARY OF CONCERNS

Oversized Scale: This 125-foot, combined 185-unit apartment building and 26,000 square foot performing arts center would be 5 stories taller than the Marke and is just steps from the Metra station. Safety and Congestion: Added influx of tenants and theatre goers, loading dock activity, pick ups/drop offs of performers and residents, garage access, and deliveries would routinely add to congestion and safety challenges affecting drivers, commuters, cyclists, and pedestrians. Disruptions: Years of construction, noise, debris, and detours will impact everyone that depends on First Street to navigate Elmhurst. Current City Centre businesses will be hard to access. Environmental: Large buildings block airflow and sunlight and create demands on infrastructure including water and electricity. Precedent: This project would reshape the downtown landscape, set a precedent for taller buildings, and displace local retail we want with high-rent service businesses we don't want, such as the medical building coming to York. Financial: ECPA requires developer partnership and City TIF/tax dollars. Ongoing support would likely be needed, creating long-term financial risk for taxpayers.

ACTION

Too often, officials side with developers over residents. We reject closed-door deals and demand transparent, community-focused development. A theater's location must be openly debated, without taxpayer dollars at stake. We, by our signatures, want our elected officials to represent us - their constituents - and not prioritize development and entities that jeopardize their constituents' quality of life. The ECPA apartment project SHOULD NOT PROCEED with its height, location and influence.

THANK YOU FOR ADDING YOUR VOICE!

*Do not donate dollars after you sign, but please help by sharing the petition and by discussing the issue. 🙂