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The Skokie Village board voted 7- 1 to allow Carvana to build a 14-story glass tower near a wooded area despite opponents packing the meeting to protest.
"There's 1000 reasons to oppose this tower. It doesn't belong there. It's going to kill thousands of birds. It's a protected area," said Kim Polka, a Skokie resident who started a petition to stop the tower, which has garnered more than 6800 signatures.
The 14-story glass vending machine for cars, to be built across from a nature preserve, met with widespread opposition from residents and conservationists. At Monday’s board meeting, Skokie Village trustees gave the development the green light.
A battle is brewing between Carvana and bird advocates who say Carvana's signature transparent glass tower – if built next to Harms Woods in Skokie – will kill thousands of migratory birds.
In response to concerns about putting a see-through glass tower in the path of migrating birds, Carvana revised its plan to incorporate bird-friendly components. Critics called the proposed mitigations “woefully inadequate.”