Hoop House Backer Runs For Elmhurst Council
ELMHURST, IL – A leader in the movement to allow hoop houses in Elmhurst said Wednesday he is running for the City Council.
Dan Virgil plans to run for the Ward 5 seat held by Alderwoman Tina Park. The ward is in southwest Elmhurst, south of St. Charles Road.
On Wednesday, Patch left a message through Facebook with Park, asking whether she would seek re-election. She was first elected in 2017.
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For several years, Virgil and his wife, Nicole Virgil, led a campaign for allowing Elmhurst residents to grow food during the winter in garden tents known as hoop houses. They prevailed in 2022.
This year, Dan Virgil has attended many meetings of the City Council and its committees. Over the summer, he urged the City Council to consider allowing accessory dwelling units, also known as granny flats.
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In an interview, Virgil said if he is elected, he would focus on making Elmhurst a good place to live. He said he generally favored how downtown has developed over the years.
“If you think about downtown Elmhurst 10, 15, 20 years ago, there were a lot of vacancies,” said Virgil, a retired senior technical project manager for a consulting firm. “There are very few now. The city made a concerted effort to bring in additional units downtown. In the meantime, Elmhurst has become a desirable community. A lot of people want to move here.”
The city, he said, should examine the effects of new development on others.
“We want to be careful that we’re not overwhelming people with change,” Virgil said.
Elmhurst also should look at options for how residents can use their properties, as long as reasonable conditions are established, he said.
“What can we allow folks to do on their property?” he said. “Hoop houses are one thing. Chickens may be another.”
As for housing in Elmhurst, he said the city needs to consider adding different types. As it is, he said, the city lacks affordable housing.
“Some people may be sensitive to this type of housing in our community,” Virgil said. “We want to manage it. There would be some conditions.”
The city election is April 1. Candidates file their paperwork in November.
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