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winnetkacurrent.com news
the winnetka current | April 12, 2018 | 3
Winnetka Village Council
Expansion of Winnetka Community House parking lot gets green light
Todd Marver
Freelance Reporter
In a unanimous decision,
the Winnetka Village
Council approved a special-use
permit to allow for
the long-awaited expansion
of the existing parking lot
at the Winnetka Community
House at its Tuesday,
April 3 regular meeting.
According to the B-1
Multiple Family Residential
Zoning District code
for the village, parking lots
are allowed to be designated
as special use. With
the approved decision, the
existing Champion House
building will be demolished
so that the parking
lot can be expanded from
fitting 20 vehicles to 26
vehicles. Additionally,
the Community House is
proposing the parking lot
as a temporary or interim
use for the property, and
as such, the parking lot is
being constructed with a
2-inch layer of asphalt over
gravel. It is estimated to
have a life span of approximately
five to seven years.
The Community House
is currently engaged in strategic
planning for its operations
and facilities. At the
completion of the strategic
planning process, it is expected
to provide direction
for the future long-term use
of the parcel.
The Landmark Preservation
Commission reviewed
the application for demolition
of the Champion
House, and in addition, the
application for the specialuse
permit was reviewed by
the Plan Commission, Zoning
Board of Appeals and
Design Review Board prior
to the council’s approval.
Each body recommended
approval with the Plan
Commission and Zoning
Board of Appeals recommendations
conditioned
upon a term being placed
on the special use. However,
the council opted not
to place a term on the special
use.
“I’d be in favor of eliminating
(a term),” trustee
Kristin Ziv said.
Trustee Andrew Cripe
felt there was no reason to
have a term imposed and
require the Community
House to go through the
approval process again in
the future.
“I don’t think it makes
sense to have a not-forprofit
to go through this
process again when all we
need to say is just maintain
it,” he said.
Trustee Scott Myers
also didn’t see the need
to impose a term for the
Community House to go
through the approval process
again in a few years.
“Their intent is not only
to maintain their property
in a very high quality manner,
but also to be thinking
strategically about this,”
he said. “I don’t think we
need to add any more motivation
to say that in five
years, they have to check
back with us. As long as we
say they’re going to maintain
this property and parking
lot in good quality, I’m
comfortable without putting
a term limit.”
Trustee Bob Dearborn
felt there was no sense in
imposing a term when the
Community House will
complete its strategic planning
process in a few years
and decide what to do with
the lot permanently.
“This is a pretty fancy
piece of property to have
a 26-spot parking lot longterm,”
he said. “We are
working within a few years
when the strategic plan
comes out and you have
this new piece of property
and they’ll figure out what
to do with it permanently.
I would just put in that it
should be maintained properly
and I would not impose
a term limit on this.”
Although all the trustees
approved the special
use without a term, trustee
Penny Lanphier had reservations
at first to approve
without a term.
“It struck me that when
they went through the process
with the Zoning Board
and Plan Commission was
that it was for a temporary
use,” she said. “I don’t know
what their thoughts were
whether they were thinking
this would be a permanent
approval or temporary.”
Myers responded that he
felt comfortable with the
board making its own decision
to not impose a term
despite the advisory body
recommendations to do so.
“My sense in reading
the minutes is they evaluated
it pretty thoroughly,”
he said. “I’m not sure that
whether it’s permanent or
temporary, if that would’ve
changed the deliberation.
But as the council, we can
take their input or not no
matter what. We have the
ability to evaluate.”
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