Oak Park has just made its Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District about 30% larger (the red sections, at right), according to Bridget Doyle of TribLocal. The village trustees voted to add 444 homes to the district, bringing the total to 1,934. Fully 89% of the homes contained within are historically relevant to area. Most of the absorbed blocks are at the western edge of the district. Serious conversations about the district's expansion had been underway since 2005. The world's greatest concentration of Prairie homes, according to the American Planning Association, the expansion brings protection to street character and restrictions to property changes. This concerns some, who fear an onerous home improvement approval process and greater homeownership costs in general. [TribLocal]
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