It might have been a parallel universe. Developers in south suburban Orland Park planned an upscale, Main Street development with a 12-screen cinema, 30 retailers and the Iowa-based department store, Von Maur. The same firm was chosen to anchor Glenview’s mixed use retail center at The Glen, with a taxpayer incentive of $5 million offered to the store.

Now comes word that Von Maur has pulled the plug in Orland Park over plans to change the layout of the mall. In its south suburban edition, Saturday, The Chicago Tribune reported that the retailer wanted a site with exposure to busy La Grange Road, but planners said no.

Insiders say Von Maur is a company that doesn’t take "no" for an answer – a wealthy, family-owned organization that likes to call the shots. While the firm has been willing to bend some of its rules of retailing to fit in the historic Hangar One, the company may not take kindly to other demands from regulators here.

When fully developed, the new shopping center, restaurants, movie theater and luxury town homes at The Glen would generate $5.52 million a year in tax revenues according to a village consultant hired to analyze the financial impact of the mixed use retail center or MURC. The center is also expected to generate nearly 1,000 new jobs in retail.

On the other hand, S. B. Friedman and Company predicts 154 town houses and 183 apartments that are part of the mix will generate $1.67 million in extra expenses for Glenview. More than 750 new residents will require police and fire protection and other village services while another 90 children will enroll in Glenview public schools. That puts the net gain in tax revenues at $3.85 million per year – $310,000 from the theaters alone.

The Glen Redevelopment Commission seemed comfortable with the concept of building a cinema at a time when others have closed. Commissioner Mary Novotny noted that failed theaters in this area have been older facilities with only a few screens, while new facilities at the Old Orchard Shopping Center "are packed. It’s really nice with the stadium seating," she observed. "You could have somebody with a big hairdo and see over them. The seats rock. There’s plenty of room to pass. . .I think it would be a success the way cinemas are run now compared to years past."

Commission Chairman Howard Silver, a certified public accountant who specializes in real estate, praised the analysis but expressed doubts about the number of apartments and town homes Kimball Hill hopes to build. "It seems like you really packed these units in here," he said.

"We’re utilizing these units to create urban vitality," said the developer. "We’ve carefully arranged the units in order to create wonderful streetscapes that are going to be friendly and lead you towards the retail section in a way that is a little bit more dense instead of having single family homes right up to a shopping center, which would be kind of a jump."

"That’s a very nice way of saying you’ve really packed them in there," Silver replied. The developer hopes for variances in zoning to build higher and closer to lot lines than current zoning allows. To get the okay, the builder must prove a hardship, something Silver said he did not see.

The developer reminded Silver that town houses and apartments were a central part of the mixed- use concept. "The intent of this project was the kind of density that we’ve shown here," he said, "and in fact what was approved for this site was 162 town homes, but we’re only putting in 154 because we felt it wasn’t working to have more than that." He added that these residences will shield shoppers from a view of the parking garages that are planned. The three-story town homes will be large – 3,000-4,000 square feet – and will sell for $475,000 - $675,000. No word, yet, on the rent to be charged for much smaller apartments.

In Wheeling, developer Kimball Hill also faced a doubting crowd. The Plan Commission there refused to sign off on Astor Place – a large new development of town homes and condos along Milwaukee Avenue at the site of the old Wheeling Nursery. Among other things, the panel thought buildings appeared too similar and "boxy," in architectural drawings. "I don’t want them to look like Monopoly houses," said Chair Pam Dorband.

The Glenview Announcements took another look at tax increment financing at The Glen and concluded that increased spending may delay retirement of the TIF by four years. The village originally said it would collect all new taxes from The Glen to cover redevelopment costs through 2008, but officials now concede the arrangement may continue through 2012, delaying the day when property taxes will flow directly to schools and parks.

Reporter Mike Ulreich told a complex story well, explaining that last year the village spent $100 million more than expected. The paper listed a series of things financed by the TIF including repair of the old Navy chapel ($750,000) and construction of Lake Glenview ($23 million).

Ulreich mistakenly lists preservation of prairie as a TIF "expense." In fact, saving 31 acres meant a loss of about $4 million in potential revenue from land sales but did not entail spending. What’s more, the federal government required that some of that land be set aside as a condition for filling wetlands at the proposed site for a shopping center anchored by Home Depot. Village officials have since made plans to restore degraded prairie, create wetlands (a federal requirement) and build a nature center, but these costs are separate from the decision to preserve a small wild place at The Glen.

Home Depot has still not broken ground for its new Design Expo store at The Glen, and company officials can’t say when that might happen, but the competition is pressing ahead with plans for a new store at Deerbrook Mall. Sears will build a 135,000-square-foot home remodeling store called the Great Indoors, leading a remodeling effort for that mall. In addition to new storefronts for retailers facing Waukegan Road, developers promise improved signage, lighting, landscaping, configuration of the parking lot and the addition of 272 underground spaces.

Major improvements are also planned for the intersection of Lake-Cook and Waukegan roads including new turn lanes, right-turn lanes for all three Waukegan Road entrances to the shopping center and a ban on left turns onto westbound Lake-Cook and northbound Waukegan Road during rush hours.

Glenview police joked that traffic was backed up to Wisconsin, but victims of a rush hour mishap on Waukegan Road were not laughing. On Friday, May 25 just after 5 p.m., a double-semi truck attempted to deliver a shipment of new cars to McGrath Acura/Audi and got stuck in the driveway, blocking three lanes of traffic.

The dealer blames a low-slung coupling device on Audi delivery trucks and an entrance to its lot that curves upward. Savvy truckers sometimes avoid the problem by parking on Waukegan Road or across the street on Colfax to unload, but neither location is legal, and they are sometimes cited by Glenview Police.

Acura said it has asked the neighboring dealership for permission to unload on its property, but Jennings refused. McGrath now says it is looking at other possible solutions.

Editor’s note: Glenview officials may be reluctant to press either dealership for action since car dealers are big contributors to the village tax stream. Still something must be done to address this serious public safety problem. See "Reader’s Write" for the views of one concerned neighbor.

The village of Northbrook has begun awarding grants to merchants for storefront improvements downtown and has approved a $1.8 million contract for work along the banks of the Chicago River. Among other things, the community plans a river walk.

Preservationists are heaving a sigh of relief now that a home built by Frank Lloyd Wright has been sold to Chicagoans who plan to preserve it. The Bannockburn house was one of the last designed by the world famous architect before his death in 1959. Another prospective buyer had come forward with plans to tear the building down, but after considerable publicity he backed away from the deal. The new buyers read about the controversy, went to the Koenig & Strey web site for a virtual tour and fell in love with the house. It’s not known what the anonymous buyers will pay, but the property listed for more than $1 million.

Unable to pass a referendum for the new school they wanted, Northfield School District 31 is surrendering a piece of land at the Stonegate development near the corner of Willow and Landwehr Roads – selling it to Northbrook’s Park District for $800,000.

There is still little hope that the Glenview post office will move, freeing land for the library’s expansion. Postal officials say they can’t afford to build or modify existing properties that might be leased in other locations. The village could, of course, cover those costs, but there’s no indication that officials are prepared to do that.

Even so, library architects are planning for three contingencies: the departure of the post office and Epco paint, the closing of Epco paint alone or a move to The Glen. Village and library board members will meet behind closed doors on June 19 to review the options. Library trustees have said July is their deadline for a decision on where to build. They would then campaign for a referendum to cover the costs of a new library – presumably on November’s ballot.

With new census numbers in hand, the state’s political leaders have drawn new boundaries that give Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky all of Maine Township and about 40 per cent of Wilmette. She surrenders constituents in two prosperous parts of Chicago – Sauganash and Edgebrook. Soon to represent Des Plaines, Niles and half of Rosement, Schakowsky said she would pay closer attention to airport-related issues. Meanwhile, Congressman Mark Kirk – who continues to represent most of Glenview – is on the record supporting new runways at O’Hare. He recently complained that 27 percent of the time, travelers take off late.

On the suburban crime beat, police in Skokie are on the lookout for thieves who took a large bronze statue from the McCormick Boulevard sculpture park. The work, by noted sculptor Peter Fagan, features a woman with arms outstretched. It stands about five feet and had been bolted to a pedestal but was carefully removed in early May. Experts say it’s valued at $99,000 and hope it wasn’t taken for scrap since bronze isn’t worth much. Skokie police have reported the theft to the FBI and Interpol.

Meanwhile, school officials said seven New Trier seniors would be allowed to graduate after performing 24 hours of community service in penance for their prank. On May 24, six girls rode topless in a convertible in front of the school at high noon. A seventh drove what principal Wes Baumann called the "getaway car."

The kids and some of their parents were called to the principal’s office the next day. They followed up with a letter of apology and agreed to come back next spring to talk with students about the consequences of senior pranks. Baumann warned that if it happens again next year, students will be turned over to police.

The Watch wonders – were the New Trier girls wearing their pearls?

Glenview Blockbuster video stores are joining others around the nation in offering possible compensation to customers who have paid late charges since January 1992. The company was named in a class action suit claiming it overcharged consumers, and a judge may order Blockbuster to issue coupons worth $9-$20. Many people will qualify based on Blockbuster’s computerized records, but if you incurred charges between January 1, 1992 and March 1, 1998, but not after that date, or if you paid a late fee for the first time after November 15, 2000 or if you ever paid a fee for failing to return a tape or game, you need to fill out a special form. Go to www.blockbuster.com and click on "EVF Litigation Settlement"or call 1-800-224-2703.

A few readers continue to have difficulty finding the latest issue of Glenview Watch on line. Bill Marks, head of Glenview-based Computer Training and Support Services, says the site might be down for maintenance or you may have typed the address incorrectly. It’s www.glenviewwatch.com. Check to be sure there are no extra spaces or misspellings.

Go into Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then click on Internet Options. For Internet Explorer version 4.0, you’ll need to click on View from the menu bar and then click on Internet Options. The information regarding Deleting Files can be found on the General Tab at the top of the Internet Options screen.

From the Internet Options menu, click on Delete Files from the Temporary Internet Files section. (The longer it takes for the hour glass to disappear, the more temporary files you had.)

If all this sounds like Greek or if you continue to have trouble, Marks invites a call to Computer Training and Support at 998_1975 or an email to megabyter@msn.com.

This week’s meeting of the Village Board (Tuesday, June 5) could prove interesting as the trustees again consider possible modifications to the bulk and scale ordinance and an early start for construction of Loyola’s sports fields. The school is asking for a change in traffic patterns and still wants to import 147,000 cubic yards of dirt.

Meanwhile, School District 225 is asking for permission to do construction outside of normally permitted hours. If the board gives officials a pass, work at Glenbrook South would begin at 6:30 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m. on weekdays, run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and might also be allowed on Sundays.

Also, watch for new expenses at The Glen – this time relating to bike path design and environmental clean up. Stop by Village Hall to watch the meeting and perhaps comment on the issues, or tune into cable channel 17 beginning at 7:30 p.m..

It’s a long way off, but those concerned about toxics at The Glen and the future of a prairie preserve there may want to mark their calendars for the evening of July 11. That’s when the Navy will hold a final hearing on the last piece of military land to be transferred to the village – property that was contaminated. Officials will tell what they found there, and the village will report on what’s planned. Watch the Watch for a time and location.

On Monday, June 4, the Park District will hold a hearing on Wagner Farm, giving the public a chance to review plans for its future, and the following night (June 5), the Park Board has scheduled a hearing on the future of Rugen Center and the park that surrounds it. Both meetings will be held at 7 p.m. in Park Center.

Also in the works, improvements to Willow Park, Huber Lane Park and Flick Park South. If you want information about these projects, call Fred Gullin at 657-3219.

On June 8, District 34 breaks ground for its new middle school at The Glen, and on June 11, the Public Library’s Summer Reading program gets underway

AB thinks it’s time to get tough with Acura: "The Acura dealer is having troubles receiving deliveries. This time it was an 18-wheeler with two full lengths of double decker enclosed cars on Colfax, trying to cross Waukegan's four lanes of traffic in front of a busy day care center. They got stuck going up the driveway incline, blocking traffic. I hope someone got the picture.

"Just a month or so ago, I called the police when I saw another semi delivery being unloaded on Colfax just west of the gas station and day care -- a violation of village ordinance.

"Acura apparently has no workable semi-truck access, and deliveries unload routinely from the turn lane on Waukegan or from Colfax. Maybe they should consider working out a deal with Avon, Kraft or Jennings in order to protect the public safety."

Mrs. S. is puzzled by plans for angled parking at the MURC: "I can't wait to see how they will explain the angled parking after what was done in downtown Glenview. We were told angled parking was dangerous to cars passing on Glenview Road and was a pedestrian accident waiting to happen. I don't think there was any hard evidence to support that contention, but the village ripped up the streets and eliminated many spaces by resorting to the parallel parking that exists today."

"As for JR’s question about the upkeep of land along Lake, I’d ask the same questions about that nice little park built across from the Lake Avenue entrance to The Glen – just for the people of Swainwood – with your TIF dollars."

Fritz doesn’t feel Kemper should get extra landscaping money from the village because its clubhouse now faces the back of the MURC: "It's good to see the big boys getting their share of abuse – just like the people of Prairie Lawn and Peachgate. Those residents used to have a great view of the Navy’s golf course. Now, they are watching construction of million dollar homes. Ironically, nobody is going to get a golf course view. The new course has been built up with so much fill that the houses that border it will face the back side of a hill. Think about it. Kemper doesn’t want Tiger and the gang looking at houses when they play. Instead, they will look off into space from their mighty hill. As a place where it seems everybody loses, The Glen should be renamed `Loserville.’"

And EB’s singing in the same key: "I find it hard to have sympathy for Kemper over their view. When James and Kemper entered their venture at the former naval base, there was certainly no consideration given to the Peachgate families who lost their golf course view. How about the Swainwood families? They now look at a fence and a red Dominick’s sign. Soon they will also see the tops of a retirement center. Quit crying, Kemper. You live in Glenview now."

JS read our advice to another reader on getting overgrown branches trimmed on public right of way. We suggested a call to Glenview Public Works: "I'm getting used to thinking of your paper when I have a concern. Yesterday, as I rode my bike to Westbrook for a baseball game, I noticed overhanging branches on the northwest corner of Lake and Greenwood that blocked the view of approaching cars and bikers. What’s more, the crosswalk was only barely visible. The fields by Westbrook School are busy with baseball games, yet the kids have no safe crossing at that intersection. I felt like getting the pruning shears and white paint out myself. Now, thanks to the latest Watch, I know just who to call."

The Watch replied with a warning – that Lake Avenue is maintained by Cook County, and we were not sure who had jurisdiction over that part of Greenwood.

A few days later, JS wrote back: "The village said the county had jurisdiction. The county said yes they do on Lake, but not on Greenwood, which they said was a state road, but that the village is in charge of the crosswalk. Anyway within one day the northwest corner had been trimmed. Unfortunately the overhanging branches on Greenwood remain a problem. I guess I’ll follow up with the state on that and with Glenview on the crosswalk."

And the Watch answers: Thanks, J.S. This kind of involvement by citizens makes the village a better place, and public officials count on our help in alerting them to problems.

A new reader writes: "I live on Huber Lane just south of Central. We are on a private sewer system. The neighborhood is disputing whether or not we should be maintained by the village. There is supposed to be a meeting on June 5 at Village Hall. Is there a place on the net that posts the meetings and what is on their agenda?"

The Watch replies: Unfortunately the Village Board’s agenda is not posted, but it can be found, along with detailed information on the issues, at the Glenview Public Library’s reference desk. Ask the librarian for this week’s Board packet. It’s usually available the weekend before meetings.

VT wonders if Costco is coming to Glenview: "At one point I was under the impression that Costco was going to build on Willow Road. Is that true or just a misunderstanding on my part?"

The Watch replies: "There was a rumor that Costco might swap its Northbrook land on Skokie Boulevard for the Home Depot site on Willow, but we have been unable to confirm that claim. We continue to be in touch with both companies and will let you know if there's news."

Terry Wodder, the Glenview alum now living in West Virginia, dismisses our report that a budget freeze in Washington makes a move by the post office impossible: "What hogwash. Do you think a freeze would stop Senator Robert Byrd from getting what he wants? The fact that there is really no coordinated effort on the part of Glenview officials, state and national representatives means one thing. There will be a new $20 million library at The Glen where the public doesn't want it, and the existing building – worth $10 million – will be sold for scrap to a developer of luxury condos. I used to say local government was good government by virtue of the fact that your local officials were your friends and neighbors. I was naive. The realities of local government are reflected in a favorite quote of mine: ‘Few men are so clever as to know all the mischief they do.’ Keep up the good work. The real enemy of good government is not corrupt politicians but apathetic citizens."

And finally, reader ZA offers some advice he plucked from the Internet. We think it’s wise counsel to those who have ideas for local government or developers: "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic."

YOUR TURN: Share your views on local issues and news. E-mail to glenviewwatch@aol.com or snail mail to 3537 Maple Leaf Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Your comments are an important part of the Watch, and we look forward to hearing from you. We are Sandy Hausman and Dean Schott, co-editors of Glenview Watch.

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