WC_121318

12 | December 13, 2018 | The winnetka Current NEWS
winnetkacurrent.com
Local village managers recap 2018 at League of Women Voters forum
Todd Marver
Freelance Reporter
With the end of the year
quickly approaching, the
League of Women Voters
of Winnetka-Northfield-
Kenilworth hosted its annual
State of the Villages
forum Thursday, Dec. 6, at
Kenilworth Union Church.
Winnetka Village Manager
Rob Bahan began the
meeting with providing an
update on the One Winnetka
project.
Last December, the developer
for One Winnetka
requested to revise its
plans for another round of
review by the Village’s advisory
bodies and the Village
Council. The project
was given final approval
in October, but the developer
still has a couple more
steps to take to make it official.
The developer has
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to get approval from the
Design Review Board at
its Dec. 10 meeting and the
developer also has to close
on the Connie’s property.
“They need to get in
front of the Design Review
Board,” Bahan said.
“They’re scheduled to do
that next week and the Design
Review Board has final
control over the finishes
and the final treatments
of the building. They still
need to close on the Connie’s
property, which is the
last piece to assemble the
site. Until they do that, the
zoning approvals will not
be effective.”
The developer estimates
the project has approximately
$100 million worth
of development value.
There is 30,000 square feet
of commercial space on
the first floor and 58 total
units (seven townhouses,
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15 condominiums and 36
rental units). There will be
two levels of parking in the
building with a total of 246
spaces including 115 spaces
for the residents at the
lowest level and 131 spaces
for commuters, shoppers
and employees. The Village
will own the level
with spaces for commuters,
shoppers and employees
once the zoning becomes
effective and it’s deeded to
the community. The estimated
public benefit is approximately
$4.7 million,
which includes the parking
and all the streetscape
on the east side of the Elm
Street district.
“We’re closely monitoring
it and we’re hoping this
will be a successful project
for the Village,” Bahan
said.
Northfield Village Manager
Stacy Sigman next
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highlighted Northfield’s
business community including
several new businesses
that opened in
downtown over the past
year including a boutique
eye care center called Wanderlust
Eyecare, North
Dental and Banner Day
School.
“I think I’m most proud
of Northfield’s continued
vibrant business community,”
Sigman said. “We remain
a community that has
the lowest vacancy rates in
both our business and office
corridors of any town
in the Chicagoland area.”
Sigman additionally
spotlighted some businesses
that will soon be
new additions to Northfield
including a Wintrust Bank
at the former Youngren
Cleaners site on Willow
Road.
“That’s going to be a
beautiful exciting addition
to our downtown,” she
added.
The Edward R. James
project for 28 luxury rental
units that was approved
earlier this year is scheduled
to open in summer
Winnetka Village Council
2019 on Winnetka Road at
the former site of the AT&T
switching station.
“Demo has already
started on that project and
we expect construction to
start in the next couple of
months,” Sigman said.
Northshore Pizza Company
is also slated to open
soon at the former Viccino’s
Pizza site on Happ
Road.
“We are still waiting on
the pizza place to open,”
Sigman said. “They’re
working on it and they’re in
construction, but it’s taking
longer than any of us pizza
lovers like.”
Sigman also highlighted
some existing Northfield
businesses that have expanded
or are thinking
about doing so. NorthShore
University HealthSystem is
one, expanding its location
on Waukegan Road.
“They’re going to be
adding a 24-hour urgent
care clinic into that location,”
she said.
Medline, which has operated
in the Village at the
former Kraft site for a couple
years now, is also thinking
about expanding.
“Medline is now up to
2,500 people at the Northfield
campus,” she said.
“They’re doing so well
there that they’re actually
beginning to contemplate
adding a fourth wing onto
that building and a parking
structure.”
Kenilworth Village
Manager Patrick Brennan
wrapped up the event by
discussing the Village’s
negotiations with Union
Pacific Railroad throughout
the past year including
a lease at the Metra station
that is complete and
plans for Green Bay Trail
bike path relocation that
are still in progress. The
Village finally negotiated
a lease at the train station
after working with Union
Pacific Railroad on it for
over a year.
“This will allow the
Village to put some more
effort and resources into
keeping the station clean
to what I’ll call Kenilworth
standards and
also let us get in a concessionaire
that may be offer-
Police, fire pensions to be funded
earlier than state mandate
NEIL MILBERT
Freelance Reporter
Winnetka is on track to
have its Police and Fire
Department pensions 100
percent funded by Dec.
31, 2035, five years earlier
than the state mandate,
Director of Finance
Tim Sloth told the Village
Council at its Dec. 7 meeting.
Sloth said the Police Department
fund has a balance
of $30.2 million and
the Fire Department fund
has a balance of $28.6 million.
The tax levy contributions
to the funds are
$1,519,805 for the Police
Department, which
is lower than last year,
and $1,819,236, which is
slightly higher.
Please see Voters, 13
Low interest loan
The Council approved
Sloth’s recommendation to
obtain a $1 million low interest
loan from the Illinois
Environmental Protection
Agency (IEPA) “to jump
start” its water main replacement
program that is
based on a 2017 study.
“The interest is under 2
Please see Village, 14