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The
Glenview Watch March 19, 2001 |
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Glenview will get a detailed look at the new economic center proposed for The Glen Tuesday and will be told what the mixed use retail center or MURC is expected to cost. The 45-acre site surrounding Hangar One will support a pedestrian-friendly shopping district with 183 apartments on the second and third floors above stores and restaurants. Kimball Hill Homes will build 162 town houses.
The residential and retail complex will also include:
– a 50,000-square-foot department store.
– a 45,000-square-foot, 12-screen cinema that will seat 2,200 people.
– a 25,000-square-foot book store.
– a 25,000-square-foot air and space museum and learning center.
– 200,000 square feet for additional retail and restaurants.
To make the plan a reality, Redevelopment Director Don Owen will ask the board to spend nearly $70 million from the TIF fund – tax revenues collected at The Glen. According to information on file at Glenview's public library, village costs include:
– $11.2 million to build the movie theater.
– $20.9 million to build parking lots and garages.
– $9.3 million for Hangar One rehabilitation.
– $13 million for site work and landscaping.
– a $5 million subsidy to the department store.
In a memo to Village Manager Paul McCarthy, Owen explains that, "Many other retail town center projects around the country require a substantial incentive to be implemented. . .Retail tenants in an internal town center project such as this . . .require substantial infrastructure."
Village officials have long said that without a thriving retail component to generate lots of taxes, the complex financing scheme used to undertake redevelopment of the base would not fly. Manager McCarthy has warned that failure to support this ambitious plan could imperil District 34 schools.
When Mary Bak, Glenview's director of development, announced she would be buying a house at The Glen, McCarthy said he had no plans to move there, but we note that the MURC also includes a 75,000-square-foot "public space" where McCarthy could put a new Village Hall.
The mixed use retail center is set to open for business in February 2003.
Editor's note: This project calls for an enormous commitment of public funds and puts the village at significant fiscal risk, yet the people of Glenview were not told about the plan. It was discussed by the trustees in executive session without regard for the taxpayers' need to know.
The deal raises countless questions. Why, for example, are we pushing a movie theater when many have recently closed? If the private sector won't risk investing in a cineplex here, should the public do so? Is this the way capitalism is supposed to work, with taxpayers taking the risks and developers making the profits? Why are we giving the Von Maur department store a subsidy when Kohl's and Target got none? With so many other department stores just a short drive away, is this a good use of tax dollars? How can we expect downtown Glenview to recover its economic health when our resources are being spent at The Glen? What are the real pros and cons of this scheme for our schools? And finally, should this matter be debated and decided by a board that is about to change?
We think it's wrong for the trustees to saddle their successors with this weighty business when an election is just two weeks away. We urge a delay so the public can be fully informed and our newly elected representatives be allowed to determine the fate of this plan. Shame on all the politicians and managers at Village Hall who have pledged improved communications with the public. We deserve better and must do our part to elect better on April 3.
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM MAY CALL GLENVIEW HOME
The Board will also review an agreement that gives The Kohl Children's Museum an option on 9 acres north of the MURC. The Wilmette-based center has outgrown its space on Green Bay Road and might like to build at The Glen. Under the proposed deal, Kohl will pay Glenview $10,000 a year for the option to locate here.
The museum would triple its current size, going to 75,000 square feet with an outdoor exhibit and nature study area. If Kohl decides to proceed, it would pay annual rent of $20,630 at the start of a lease that would build to $83,950 over a 40-year period. In exchange for Glenview's cut-rate charge at the outset, the museum has agreed to waive the admission charge on one afternoon per week and will offer an annual family night free to Glenview residents.
PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR FARM AND PRAIRIE
The Park District will hold a public hearing on Monday evening, June 4 to discuss the Wagner Farm master plan. The exact time and place have not been determined. We'll keep watch.
Glenview is also moving ahead with plans to build a nature center at the Air Station Prairie. From 9-11 a.m. Saturday, April 7, the public can view three different building designs and discuss some interesting ecological options. Natural Resources Manager Robin Flakne says our consultant on the project has come up with "some really neat things."
For example, the center could have a green roof. Plants would be cultivated on top of the building to provide additional insulation, to absorb storm water and to return oxygen to the atmosphere. It might also be possible to place solar collectors on the roof so the building can be lit and heated using energy from the sun.
The structure itself will be about 2,200 square feet – housing an office, a large classroom, some display space and restrooms. There might also be a 1,000-square-foot outdoor deck. The parking lot would provide for only 10 cars with additional space available at the nearby METRA station, and porous materials would be used to pave the lot so small plants could actually grow there and water could be absorbed.
Editor's note: Given the richness of the prairie itself and concerns about The Glen's finances, we think it's important that the village not go overboard, attempting to create a separate museum-like destination for kids. It is the prairie that students and the public will come to see. The nature center should be simple and functional – providing shelter from the elements and a place where teachers and kids can compare notes before or after wandering the prairie paths.
FULLER AKS LOYOLA TO PLAY FAIR ON SPORTS FIELDS DEAL
Trustee Kent Fuller is calling Loyola Academy to task for failing to fulfill a promise it made to protect a sensitive ecological area near its new athletic complex at the former Lutter Dump. Loyola had said it would protect the flood plain between its fields and the Chicago River – land that Fuller said provides important habitat to birds and animals. Loyola also agreed to provide pedestrian access to this natural area.
Officials from Loyola said they couldn't sign anything last November when the deal was struck because there was no time to get their board together before closing on the property. With Trustee John Patton Jr. – a Loyola alum – and its lawyer, Mike Downing, vouching for the school, the board approved a site plan, clearing the way for the deal to close.
Now that Loyola owns the land, Fuller told fellow trustees at the March 6 board meeting that "no protection or pedestrian access has been assured through the provision of legal documents to the village. . .I sincerely hope that this will happen well in advance of any further requests from Loyola such as approval of an ice skating rink. In any case," he added, "no further development approval should be given until this matter is resolved in writing."
PLAN COMMISSION WINS CONCESSIONS
The Plan Commission has approved a development of townhomes on Milwaukee Road across from the Motel 6. The land could have gone to a car dealership or a drive through restaurant, so the neighbors were pleased with the prospect of a residential complex and testified in support of Forest Edge. The commission haggled with developers who have now agreed to build only 32 units – down from an original plan of 44.
The panel has also begun talks with Concord Homes over development of 23 houses on land across from Triumvera. At issue, whether residents will access those houses – which will sell for $600,000 up – from Milwaukee Avenue or from a street in the surrounding neighborhood.
Finally, the commission turned thumbs down on a request from Optima West to sell storefront space to doctors, lawyers and other professionals. The apartment building located on Dewes Street downtown has been unable to find retail buyers, and zoning only allows retailers on the first floors of buildings downtown. The Plan Commission asked Optima to wait for a decision from the Comprehensive Planning Panel.
SHAMELESS SMIRLES AND OTHER TALES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Former Village President and Unite Glenview stalwart Jim Smirles surprised members of St. Peter and Paul's Church recently. He invited his friend Larry Carlson to appear before the congregation and introduced him as the next village president. Supporters of Donna Pappo for president wondered if Jim was psychic or just delusional.
Smirles also encircled his shopping center at the corner of Lake and Waukegan with Unite Glenview campaign signs, prompting angry calls from customers to Walgreen's, Trader Joe's and other stores located there. One irate citizen closed his account at the bank, explaining that he wanted to protest Smirles' action. The tellers and managers were sympathetic, saying they didn't much like the landlord themselves.
When they were unable to reach Smirles by phone, staffers at Walgreen's removed some of the UG signs. One day later, the sign fairies from Unite Glenview had replaced them.
Meanwhile, a woman who lives near the village golf course came home to find her G3 lawn sign missing and a number of yards in the neighborhood sporting UG signs.
On the mailing front, UG has sent its second full-color brochure to the voters, and experts in the business of elections say the party may already have spent $30,000 in its effort to retain control of Village Hall. To pay that bill, Glenview Watch hears UG is resorting to some unusual fundraising tactics including a guys-only cigar and poker party in Swainwood.
Finally, the Watch hears UG's campaign manager Mary Novotny has asked village hall to give her the blueprints for Donna Pappo's home. Novotny would like to embarrass Pappo by proving that the house exceeds the maximum building size set in Glenview's new bulk and scale ordinance.
Village officials won't release the plans, but Pappo says the house falls well within the new MBS guidelines. Pappo has argued for reasonable restrictions on the size of new homes that replace teardowns. Her home was built in the1930's.
TOWNSHIP DEMOCRATS CHALLENGE REPUBLICAN RULE
Township government fills the gaps left by state, county and local
services. People in unincorporated Glenview,
for example, don't get police protection from the village, so the township
pays the Cook County Sheriff to patrol. Some
roads and bridges in unincorporated areas are tended by the township, and
people who don't qualify for public aid can get important social services
through this branch of government. That's why Northfield Township was
central in providing relief to the families burned out by a fire last
summer on Greenwood Road.
Township government is also an important starting point for many people
who want a career in politics, so as you elect trustees this year, think
of them as rookies who could someday be serving you in Springfield or
Washington.
Northfield Township government has long been controlled by the Republican
party, but this year the Democrats are again going for seats on the board.
They say demographics in Glenview, Northbrook and
Northfield are changing and note victories here for Bill Clinton in 1996
and Al Gore in 2000.
In their quest for a victory, the Democrats are doing something very
"Republican" – calling for a tax cut. They
claim there's a $3 million surplus in the annual budget and suggest it be
used to reduce property taxes.
The Democrats also say Northfield Township is spending too much for
administration of services. Candidate Patti
Bidwill estimates that for every dollar the township awards in aid, it's
spending a dollar on administration.
Not so says Republican Jill Brickman who has served on the board and is
now running unopposed for township supervisor. She
contends that administration is efficient and that the surplus is not that
big.
Republican Mike Chance of Northfield agrees, noting "the surplus is
also a result of our taxing schedule. We're
always a little bit behind on the revenue side, so we have to keep some
money to make it through the year without having to borrow."
His colleague Steve Kim adds that "with
the economy slowing down, who knows? There may
be more residents who will be in financial need."
The Democrats pledge an independent audit of
programs and services to determine what the public really needs and
whether any money is being wasted. Candidate
Matt DeLeon says it could be that the township isn't spending enough to
serve its needy population. "New Trier
spends far more on its senior citizens, children and people with
disabilities."
The challengers also feel that long-time control by one party is not good
government. Democrat Cathy Baker says
"votes by the township board are always unanimous and meetings
sometimes last less than 15 minutes. This
doesn't sound like efficient government to me. It
sounds like rubber stamping."
Republican Kay Hanlon admits the meetings are sometimes short but says the
trustees do their homework beforehand. "If
there's something big on the agenda, then we have to take more time and
discuss it, so those meetings tend to take longer."
Brickman adds that decisions in township government are rarely complex or
controversial. "We deal a lot with things
like sewers," she says. "We get
professional recommendations, we ask questions. There
is a best way to repair a sewer."
There are four people running from each party for the position of township
trustee.
THE DEMOCRATS
Cathy Baker is 41 and a resident of Northbrook who founded her own court
reporting company. She has been active in the PTO at Wescott School
in District 30 and serves as the assistant librarian there. She is
also a girl scout leader who oversees the clean-up program for Meadowhill
Park.
Patricia Bidwill is a resident of Glenview with an MBA from Columbia
University. Now 48, she is retired as president of a large beverage
company, Courtesy Distributors of Lombard. She once lived in the
nation's capital and founded the Washington Economic Development Finance
Authority. She has also served on the Advisory Council for the
Illinois Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and on the board of the
Chicago Midtown Education Foundation.
Also a Glenview resident, 32-year-old Matt DeLeon works for the
president of Cook County's board, serving as his liaison to the
Asian-American community. Before taking that job, he worked for
Mayor Daley and was a volunteer in the campaign of U.S. Senator Paul
Simon.
Born in Wilmette, 36-year-old Karen Nystrom now lives in Northbrook,
where she works as a freelance writer and edits a weekly newsletter for
CIGNA insurance. She has taught college English, business and
creative writing.
THE REPUBLICANS
Mike Chance is an attorney and management consultant from Northfield.
Before winning election to the Northfield Township Board,
he served as a trustee in his village, as a board member for school
District 29 and a commissioner on the police and fire board.
Elizabeth Coy is a Glenview resident who grew up in a political family.
Her father, Thomas Rueckert, has long been the assessor of
Maine Township, and Coy says she's stuffed more envelopes than she cares
to remember. At 30, she views this race as her
"foot in the door." Coy works in the
human resources department of Bell and Howell. Her
husband works in Northfield Township's highway department – a fact that
may preclude her from voting on certain matters.
At 40, Republican Kay Hanlon traces her interest in politics to State
Representative Beth Coulson for whom she campaigned in 1996. A
resident of Northbrook, Hanlon is an attorney who specializes in domestic
relations, traffic and criminal matters. She
has served one term on the township board.
Also elected to the board four years ago, Steve Kim is a resident of
Northbrook who works in the regulatory affairs office of Ameritech.
In that capacity, he deals with politics and issues of
concern to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Kim
is 30 and a graduate of Loyola Academy.
READERS WRITE
Amy Brossard was intrigued by our comments on 9 acres of open space
behind Belmont Village near Shermer and Golf. She writes: "Can
we get the candidates to talk about this and other possible properties
that should be preserved? How much would we
need to buy it ourselves?
"I had just been reminiscing about the Flick Park garden plots
available 20 years ago to residents (where the soccer fields are today).
They didn't require a lot of maintenance by the Park
District and were a lot of fun. We signed up
for a plot, paid a gardening fee to cover the costs of tilling the land,
and we did our own watering – filling buckets or jugs from an outdoor
spigot. Maybe the local garden clubs could
help oversee an open space venture."
The Watch replies: What a great idea!
Maybe Belmont Village would subsidize your efforts,
allowing some of their residents to do a little gardening
next door. Or maybe not. The
company is already trying to wiggle out of the impact fees it owes the
Park District under a formula adopted by the trustees in March 2000.
Belmont won preliminary approval for its project in
November 1999. At the time, it expected to pay
the parks $36,400. Under the new fee schedule,
the company owes $455,000.
"We feel this would place an unfair burden on our elderly residents,
to whom the burden would ultimately fall," Belmont writes to the
trustees. "We respectfully request that
you allow our project to be assessed under the structure in place at the
time that we received our initial approvals."
Coming from a firm that made much of its concern for the community and its
residents, this letter is especially galling. The Watch respectfully
requests that the trustees tell these corporate jokers to take a hike –
and to take the money from their C.E.O., attorneys and stockholders.
VW questions the choice of words in a letter regarding our
profiles of the library board candidates. It referred to our
summaries as biopsies, and VW asks: "Biopsies? Does
he mean "biographies" or are these people ill?"
The Watch replies: We're pleased to report that the candidates are
alive and well. We did not question the author's choice of words.
It suggested scientific investigation, a metaphor like "dissecting
the issues," but you're right. Biopsies are done to check for
disease, and "biographies" would have been a better term.
JP was not impressed with a letter that appeared last week from a
regular contributor to the Watch. He (or she) writes: "Zcloser
has been misspelling his name. It should be Z-loser."
Auntie Lou is mall-watching: "We were just wondering...Is
anything besides the Dominicks going to be in the shopping center on
Patriot Blvd? It has been 5 months since it opened. What's the
deal?"
The Watch replies: Patience, Lou. The leasing agent says
"your basic strip mall stores" will be opening soon: a dry
cleaner, dentist's office, Supercuts and cellular phone store in April
followed by a day spa, card store, real estate office and GNC in May.
CG is keeping an eye on business elsewhere and asks: "Have you
heard anything about why Country Maid closed? And what about Renneckar's?
We have heard a rumor that Deerfield Bakery was going in there. We hope to
God no more dry cleaners."
The Watch replies: While there could have been internal problems
with the business, there's no doubt that Country Maid faced pressure
created by consumers who like the convenience of one-stop shopping. Stores
like Dominick's, Jewel and Sunset have expanded their bakeries to meet
that demand, and the competition is killing small neighborhood operations.
Renneckar's is reportedly back on the market after a deal to build
high-density housing fell through. We have been unable to confirm possible
interest from Deerfield, and we hear that Nick Darrus, who operates the
Snack Shop, would still like to stay and is hoping for a deal that would
make that possible. We'll keep watch and let you know.
Bill is frustrated. The village tree ordinance doesn't seem to
protect him, and it doesn't catch errant builders: "Glenview's
newest monstrosity broke ground yesterday next door to my house. I watched
while the back hoe dug up not only half the earth around a 50 - 75-foot
high tree but also the giant roots (at least 4 inches thick) of this tree.
The tree is so big and so close that if it fell it would wipe out the
whole back side of my house.
"I really don't care about this tree to begin with because parts of
it have come down in bad rainstorms, and I have often wondered how solid
it is to begin with, but I am very concerned now. With nothing to
support it on the construction side, it seems more likely to fall, and
even if it stays upright for a while, all this digging will eventually
kill it.
"I called Village Hall, and the building department promised to send
an inspector. Meanwhile, I've got a neighbor mad at me for raising an
objection, and I haven't even started on the fact that there is no
construction fence."
The Watch replies: The village cannot afford enough inspectors to
patrol every construction site in town, and officials count on residents
to report possible violations. The current ordinance does require
developers to protect mature trees during construction, so maybe there
will be a penalty imposed. Let us know what happens once the
building inspector comes by.
BP notes our neighbors at The Glen have lots of lights: "If
Glenview rarely installs street lights, why has the Glen been designed
with what seems like more street lights than the rest of Glenview
combined? My neighborhood installed gas lamps on our corners
years ago to light our entrances. We pay to maintain the lamps and pay the
gas bills (which have been in excess of $500 per month). We don't get and
haven't asked for help from the village to pay for this. Maybe
we should, in light of the overdone illumination of the Glen."
The Watch replies: Actually, B, there are more
street lights at The Glen than in the rest of the village combined.
Glenview leaves lighting to the developers, and in this
case, the village is the developer. TIF
financing gives the trustees a large pot of money for such amenities –
but only at The Glen. The rest of us must take
a number and get in line.
From a reader in Lincolnshire, Larry Eugene, we get this note:
The claim that IDOT can use eminent domain to take property and widen
roads is correct, but not if the property is municipally owned [as is the
case along much of Willow Road]. That's never been done in Illinois.
By the way, the question of widening Route 22 in our town has become the
main issue in our upcoming elections.
Our Aussie key pal Heather writes to apologize for
failing to send us a donation, explaining that the Australian dollar isn't
worth much these days. Instead, she mailed
some delicious local "bikkies" – known here as cookies.
She also sent a press release on environmental legislation
Down Under. As we ponder tree ordinances and
prairie protection, it's nice to know that people half way around the
world are also doing their part:
"Environment Minister Dean Wells today announced tough new powers for
local governments to protect their environment from littering and waste
dumping. From today, local governments across Queensland will have the
power to issue on the spot fines.
"Thousands of tonnes of litter and waste such as plastic rubbish and
cigarette butts find their way into our waterways, endangering our marine
life," said the minister. "Only last year, a rare Bryde's
whale died near Cairns after swallowing a large amount of plastic litter
which included shopping bags, bait bags and lengths of plastic
sheeting."
"On the land, native birds, marsupials and even domestic animals have
also suffered because of carelessly dropped waste."
The Watch replies: Save the whales and the kangaroos!