The Vermilion Planning Commission opened its first meeting of 2026 on January 7th by reorganizing for the year and reviewing several development requests, including the preliminary site plan for the proposed Eagleview Townhomes project behind Liberty Avenue.
Clerk of Council Melanie Wood called the meeting to order. The commission unanimously selected Heather Shirley to serve as chairperson for 2026 and chose Mike Cremean as vice chair. Members also approved the minutes from the December meeting.
Lot split approvals on Cooper Foster Park Road
The first request of the evening came from Kyle and Marilou Williams, who own two parcels on Cooper Foster Park Road. One of the lots has limited frontage, and the family asked to reconfigure the parcels to create two buildable lots: one for their home and one for an adjoining family member. The commission granted conditional approval, requiring the project to meet all items outlined in the city engineer’s review.
A second request involved a lot split on Cooper Foster Park Road presented by Thomas Palmer, who intends to divide nearly nine acres into three parcels. Palmer told the commission he may build a smaller home for himself while ensuring the property can be transferred to his executor in the future. The commission approved the split as presented.
Eagleview Townhomes project moves forward with conditions
The largest discussion of the night centered on the Eagleview Townhomes development planned for the land behind The Nest on Liberty Avenue. Engineer Brent Anderson of Rafter Inc. appeared on behalf of developers Lou and George Douzos and Eagleview Townhomes, LLC.
The project, which received rezoning and cluster development approval last year, calls for 36 two-bedroom townhomes with garages under a homeowners association. Anderson said the updated site plan addresses comments from the city engineer, including corrections to setback classifications, stormwater design details, and revised topography.
Anderson also noted the developers intend to pursue vacation of a small remaining public portion of Overlook Drive, converting it to a private roadway to clean up the existing entrances and improve site access.
Parking becomes central concern
Commission member Jeff Hammerschmidt raised concerns about the lack of guest parking, noting that driveways are close together and leave little room for overflow. Anderson said the interior roadway is 26 feet wide and could allow parking on one side, but acknowledged that zoning setbacks and mailbox placement limit the amount of additional side parking the site can accommodate.
The commission discussed several options, including adding spaces near the entrance or improving a portion of The Nest’s existing overflow lot and linking it to the development. Members agreed the project should include additional parking equal to roughly 10 to 15 percent of the 36 units, or at least three to five spaces.
The commission granted conditional preliminary approval for the site plan, requiring the developers to address all engineer comments and add the recommended parking spaces before returning for final engineering.
The meeting adjourned with no further business. The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for February 4 at the Vermilion Municipal Court Complex.
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