GLENVIEW PLANS A "GOING INTO BUSINESS" SALE – 50% OFF FOR ABT

Should Glenview provide sales tax rebates to lure ABT from Morton Grove?  That question will face the Trustees when they meet Tuesday night.  The proposed 15-year contract would give ABT a 50% rebate on our share of sales tax once the store has sold $100 million in merchandise. The public, of course, has no additional information on the deal – no idea when ABT might reach that level of sales and how much the village might have to give back. 

What's more, the proposal raises critical policy questions for our community:  If a company anticipates revenues of more than $100 million, does it really need a local government subsidy?  Will extending this incentive make us vulnerable to demands by existing Glenview companies that might also like a sales tax rebate?  Who negotiated this deal for the Village, and what would happen if that individual played hardball? 

It's entirely possible that ABT would locate in Glenview even without a corporate welfare payment.  ABT obviously likes the Milwaukee Avenue site,  and the largest percentage of ABT's customers come from Glenview.

GLENVIEW DOLLARS FLOW TO WILMETTE

Anticipating increased demand  for water, largely due to development at the Glen, our Trustees will be asked to pay nearly $4.5 million to Wilmette so that suburb, which now supplies us with 21 million gallons of water a year, can improve its plant and increase capacity.  The cash will come from general revenues and not from the TIF that's supposed to cover utilities at the Glen – a matter that begs some public explanation.  We also note that Wilmette will not complete its upgrade until May 2002.   Should buyers of homes at the Glen bring their own Perrier?

LET THERE BE LIGHT – AND SHADE

Finally, on the bill paying front, we note that village staff wants the trustees to shell out $794,720 for pathway, parkway and street lights at the Glen.  Also, the Trustees will consider spending $227,000 for 1,080 trees to shade the medians and parkways there.  Staff does not recommend submitting that contract for competitive bids.  Glenview Watch wonders why.

PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT DOWNTOWN

Some people think downtown Glenview's got all the construction it needs with Optima at the corner of Glenview and Waukegan, but the Village Board will hold a special session at 6 p.m. Tuesday to hear from consultants who have looked at the capacity for more development in the area.  Their reports will focus on traffic problems and how many more people can comfortably live, work and play in our central district.

TREE ORDINANCE AXED

The debate over Glenview's tree moratorium was long and at times emotional, but Plan Commission hearings on the subject ended quietly with a vote not to draft a new ordinance protecting trees.

Planning Director Mary Bak said such laws don't usually prevent property owners from cutting down trees. Instead, they require that new trees be planted or fines be paid to make amends.

Commissioner Gary Wendt proposed a modest law that would keep developers from cutting "substantial trees and very desirable trees – perhaps ten-inch diameter trees and greater . . . It should take a great deal of thought before a significant tree of that nature would be clear cut for a parking lot, a dry cleaner or a fast food area," he said.

But developers' arguments prevailed.  Suggesting that there was no real need for an ordinance, builder Gary Rizzo repeated the old maxim: "If it's not broke, don't fix it," and  Bernie Schmitt testified that builders already save trees, understanding that they add value to a property.  "Any builder who doesn't see that – he's made a mistake."

Commissioner Howard Silver felt there was no "crisis" and did not want to judge how homeowners use their land.  "If you've got a tree in your backyard that you want to sacrifice because you want to put a swing set there for your kids, who are we to say that the tree gives you a better quality of life than the swing set?"
   
Two weeks later, Silver publicly lamented his decision when a developer asked for permission to build two homes on Milwaukee Avenue near the Grove.  The builder's plan requires destruction of 44 large trees, and the Village is powerless to say no. 

TEARS AND TIRADES OVER TEAR DOWNS

Next Saturday morning, the plan commission holds another public hearing on tear downs beginning at 8:30 in the Board room of Village Hall.  Our town and many others have been struggling with this problem for years, and many citizens wonder why it's taking so long to craft effective regulations.  One answer is that one size does not fit all when it comes to home construction. Lot sizes and locations differ. So do architectural designs and residents' values.

At the last public hearing on the subject, three speakers showed how difficult the task of improving regulation will be.

Donna Schinto lives on Pleasant Lane – a narrow, wooded street off Wagner Road in east Glenview.  In the last decade, seven of 12 modest homes on her block have been torn down and replaced by sizable new houses, making long-time residents feel "seriously out of character."

Commissioner Jim Patterson noted, with some enthusiasm, that properties near teardowns are often worth more, a point that Schinto acknowledged.  "I talked to the assessor, and he is also very excited about our increased property values," she said,  referring to Glenview's rising taxes.

The room erupted with laughter, but Schinto fought back tears.  "I'm not trying to be funny," she said. "We are retired school teachers.  Our block is a line of $1.5- $2 million homes.  We are being pushed out of our home.  I spent my life making it a home.  What am I going to do?"

Another resident who identified himself as a real estate salesman – "tops in my field," saw the situation in an entirely different light.  He argued that tear down regulations could hurt current residents hoping to sell small, less desirable homes for a good price. 

"Open your minds up to the fact that there's a real estate market out there.  You have 200 real estate operators like myself just in Glenview alone, and if you say to them, ‘We now have decided 2,500 square feet is the limit for any house you're going to build,'  what kind of nonsense is this?  Think what I'm saying once! . . . How do you sell a small ranch that's got a six-by-eight-foot kitchen, no family room.  Young people aren't going to buy it, and they won't bring their kids here."

Faced with such extremes, residents can only hope for the wisdom of King Solomon on our plan commission.  Instead, we have the likes of Jim Patterson who, after hearing hours of testimony and presumably reading reams of background material was asked for his opinion when Chairman Tim Doron polled the Commissioners:

Doron: "I'm going to Mr. Patterson next.  I want to keep him awake."

Patterson: "I'm next?"

Doron: "Yeah." 

Patterson: "I have heard a lot of, I can appreciate both sides of it.  I see, you know, the uh, I'm curious what some of the architects or builders would like.  I mean if we said `No Rules,' what would we end up with?  I don't know how far they would go.

"On the one hand, I see a lot of people that are suggesting that some of these things are monsters, and they are.  You're moving to a community where you have a lot of room, and suddenly you have a neighbor right next to you.  So it makes sense, um, to tone it down."

Referring to several different regulatory tools for managing the size of tear downs, Patterson continued, "I don't know which one of these I like.  I have trouble with the bulk averaging a lot."

Doron: "You don't have to go there yet.  You don't have to make that decision yet.  We're just kind of framing the issues here – to see what your thoughts were."

Patterson: "I'm not – I don't have any more at the moment."

Doron: "That's fine."

Editors' Note: When Patterson was nominated to the Plan Commission by Village Board President Firfer, she touted his business experience and strong commitment to the community.  Patterson is a partner in his family's vending machine supply business and was active in the drive to secure more soccer fields for Glenview kids. 

Critics asked for more expertise in planning, real estate, finance or law,  but Trustee John Patton argued it might be good to have someone on the Commission with the layman's perspective. 

This week, the Firfer is expected to nominate people to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Committee – a body that will shape Glenview's future for a decade or more.  It is essential that Firfer select people of intelligence and experience – Trustees and citizens who have been in the forefront on planning questions.   General experience and good intentions won't cut it.  The challenges faced by our community in the 21st century require nothing less than the best.

PARK BOARD FACES THE HEAT OVER PLANNED FIRE STATION AT THE FARM

Village Manager Paul McCarthy has put Glenview's Park District in a real bind with his plan for a fire station at Wagner Farm.  If board members resist, relations with Village Hall could be damaged, they'll miss out on some much needed cash, and they could be criticized for failing to support public safety.   If they okay construction, preservationists will clearly "have a cow," but members of the Park Board aren't complaining about their difficult and embarrassing plight.  "We're used to it," says member John Winand.

Citizens at Thursday night's Park Board meeting complained that a new fire station would compromise the integrity of the 18-acre farm at the corner of  Lake Street and Wagner Road.   Voters gave the park district the authority and the money to acquire the property, but the campaign was not tagged "Farm, Fields and Fire," and some feel the Village and Park District were not entirely up front during the campaign.

Winand suggests critics take their case to Village Hall.   "We're the tail, and they're the dog," he explains.

Manager  McCarthy acknowledges that a fire station on the east side of town was an issue when he first became Village Manager in 1984.  The idea re-surfaced in the early 90's and again after the referendum passed.

He has claimed response times to emergency calls from east Glenview are too long, but that begs several important questions:  Why has the Village waited more than 16 years to proceed with acquisition of a suitable site and construction?  Has the Village Manager put east side residents and their homes and businesses in jeopardy?  Was McCarthy waiting for property from the Park District at a bargain price?  How hard has the Village looked for locations other than Wagner Farm?

RIVERSIDE CLEAN-UP PLANNED 

Glenview's newest environmental group – Friends of Nature – will sponsor a summer clean-up of Glenview's newest natural preserve – the 65-acre Techny Basin beside the Chicago River from 9-11 a.m. on August 5 and 19.  Volunteers will meet in Kohl's parking lot off Willow, then walk along the river, picking up trash.  Participants should bring drinking water, a hat and work gloves.  For more information, call Karen at 657-9220 or Gary at 724-7418. 

READERS WRITE

With regards to plans for a fire station at Wagner Farm, HS was alarmed:  I thought the fight for the farm was over, but it looks like COWS and the citizens of Glenview are up against something bigger than before.  I am very upset that there is even a hint of touching one blade of grass on that farm. Only one acre out of 18 sounds trivial to some, but that kind of numbers game won't fly with me.

And Mary Sacoff had this to say:  Last summer my husband and I were traveling on Glenview Road near the Waukegan Road intersection when our car was hit by a truck.  Unfortunately it happened on the day of the street sale, and it took emergency personnel from the Glenview Road station about 25 minutes to reach us.  Fortunately we were not in need of medical care, and our car was not in flames.  If we had needed emergency assistance, and  if Glenview had a fire station on the east side, the dispatcher could have mobilized paramedics from the east. 

That said, I hope the Village will recognize and respect this community's wish to preserve Wagner as a working farm, not a "mixed use" public facility. The citizens have waited since 1984 for adequate service. We can wait a few months longer to find another site.

Reader Karen Finerman responds to a letter about that long-billed bird crushed by traffic on Lehigh Road: " Debby Rubenstein's letter was sad but says everything about what is going or rather NOT going on these days."   Casting an eye to the east, she notes that things are no better.  "Try driving in Wilmette!  Green Bay Road is under construction, and Sheridan Road is closed in Kenilworth.  A lot of east/west streets are blocked to prevent people from taking short cuts.  Imagine my surprise when I had to do an errand in Wilmette and couldn't get out!"


YOUR TURN

What's on your mind? Drop us a line by e-mail at GlenviewWatch@aol.com or the old-fashioned way. We're at 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. Thanks for reading. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors of The Watch.

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