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The Glenview Watch
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RESIDENTS REVIEW DOWNTOWN OPTIONS
More than 130 people turned out last week to discuss various development options for downtown Glenview. Redevelopment Committee Chair Kimball Woodrow said scenarios presented by village consultants were based on “what if” thinking, and lead consultant Steve Friedman stressed that coercion would not be used to bring about any plans. “It is not about the village acquiring property,” he said.
Speaking in general terms, the consultants said five-story buildings in downtown Glenview would be economically viable, but their first scenario included lower rise buildings. Here are key elements the consultants included in their minimum development scenario:
-- Replacing the strip mall across from the library – Olympia Center – with a dozen town homes and a two-story building with 28,000 square feet of retail and office space.
-- Building a two-story parking deck on Depot Street, north of Glenview Road.
-- Adding six town homes and a number of restaurants on the Bess Hardware site
-- Replacing Bess Hardware with a one-story building facing Glenview Road
-- Replacing the downtown fire station with two-story buildings featuring stores on the first floor and offices above
-- Building eight new town homes on Dewes Street
-- Making façade improvements to the 1800-block of Glenview Road and to businesses on Waukegan Road north of Dominick’s
-- Building two three-story condo buildings and one three story retail/office building on River Drive.
-- Constructing two office buildings on Waukegan between Dewes and Henley
-- Reconfiguring the OLPH parking lot to accommodate a river walk
-- Remodelling Glenview Road portions of OLPH for retail use with classrooms above
-- Replacing the Koenig & Strey building on the northeast corner of Waukegan and Glenview roads with a one-story restaurant
-- Constructing a new, three-story Village Hall on Waukegan between Lake and Grove
-- Replacing the current Village Hall with an office building
-- Adding three retail buildings between McLean and Grove
The consultants felt none of these changes would be possible without some financial assistance or incentive from Village Hall.
A middle-level plan included many of the first suggestions but added buildings and stories:
-- Two four-story condo buildings (54 units) at the Olympia Center site
-- A four-story building replacing The Noodle
-- A two-story building replacing Bess Hardware
-- A two-story development on the 1800-block of Glenview Road
-- Two-story parking decks behind the 1800-block and on Depot Street
-- A three-story deck behind a new Village Hall on Church Street
Alternatives in the mid-range scenario:
-- A new Village Hall at the Dominick’s or fire station sites
-- A new grocery store at the current village hall location
-- Replacement of one OLPH building with retail on the first floor and classrooms on the second and third floors
-- Two four-story buildings on Waukegan Road between Grove and Glenview
-- Four four-story buildings south of Glenview Road and west of Waukegan with a total of 84 condos.
Given this higher-density plan with more for developers to sell, the consultants said condominium buildings would be financially viable, but construction of stores, offices and parking decks, would still require a substantial public investment, and taxpayers would have to cover the full cost of a new Village Hall.
The maximum development scenario proposed 23 four and five-story buildings including many new condos and lots of new retail space.
Editor’s note: We won’t bother to discuss details of that last option. Perhaps it was designed to shock residents so much that they would gladly fork over tax dollars to subsidize something more reasonable. What else could explain the high-rise scenario? Glenview residents and the officials they elect would never stand for so much construction, and you have to wonder if it would be the death knell for The Glen Town Center.
Then again, it may be that these consultants are just dreamers who don’t understand Glenview. They did, after all, propose moving the Dairy Bar in one of their scenarios. Later, lead consultant Friedman – who knows Glenview well – blamed the suggestion on “someone who is lactose intolerant."
What do you think? Visit The Glenview Forum at http://glenviewforum.proboards42.com/
Or drop us a line at glenviewwatch@aol.com.
WHAT CAME NEXT
Residents and business owners were divided into 15 groups to share their ideas and feelings about the future of the retail area around Glenview and Waukegan roads. Afterward, a leader for each group recapped the conversation. There were many who disliked the idea of four and five-story buildings, but if they’re coming, residents want them on Waukegan rather than Glenview Road. Many also said they hoped the village would protect and help existing businesses. No one objected to plans for construction on River Drive where Bank One now sits.
The consultants will offer an overview of public comment during the next meeting of the downtown redevelopment committee at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 17 at Village Hall.
DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS PLAN VILLAGE HALL POWOW
Owners from Glenview’s downtown business area plan to meet Tuesday with Village Manager Todd Hileman, and many are not happy with what the consultants’ ideas. Some are on the war path over talk of changing Olympia Center. They knew nothing about that until the village included drawings of a dramatically different shopping strip in a mailing to residents.
Other merchants want more detail on talk of improving the facades of their buildings, and many store owners on Waukegan Road say they were not aware their buildings are now a target for planners.
Poor communication has sparked suspicion according to downtown business leader Jennifer Kozicki. Many merchants dismiss village claims that there will be no coercion of local businesses and no development without broad support from the public. “It’s like the fox outside the hen house with knife and fork in hand saying he doesn’t plan to eat any chicken,” Kozicki says.
GLEN DEVELOPER CAN’T REPAY YET
When it loaned developer OliverMcMillan $12 million for The Glen
Town Center, Village Hall agreed the money need not be repaid until the
shopping center's net operating income hit 12.5 percent of the developer's
projected costs. Once that happened, the developer was to pay the village
up to $200,000 per year, and if income exceeded expectation,
OliverMcMillan would have to pay a second $200,000 annually. Under
these terms, the debt would be satisfied in 2036 if all went well.
Now, it appears, all has not gone well. The Glenview Journal reports
OliverMcMillan failed to reach the target and is not obligated to make a
payment in 2005.
Editor's note: The situation is worrisome not only because of the
debt owed to Glenview, but because the community has invested a total of
$77 million in The Glen Town Center and is counting on sales tax revenue
from that enterprise to make the investment worthwhile.
SPORTING GOODS STORE TO STAY AT THE GLEN
The pickings are slim at Galyan’s at The Glen with about half of the display racks empty, but staffers say the store will remain under new ownership. Acquired by Pittsburgh-based Dick’s Sporting Good’s last year, the entire Galyan’s chain is in transition, and nine of its 230 stores were closed, but Dick’s is busy renovating at The Glen, and new merchandise is expected in the next week. While Galyan’s put heavy emphasis on sports apparel, Dick’s says it will devote more space to sporting goods.
BREAKING THE LIBRARY LOGJAM
At the suggestion of Village Manager Todd Hileman, who saw no other way to move forward, Glenview’s village and library boards are preparing to search for and hire a new consultant to advise the community on location, size and cost of a new library. “Now that the decision has been made to keep the library downtown, the discussion needs to focus on the bottom line impact to our taxpayers and the comfort level of the village board,” Hileman said.
The library lacks authority to raise money for this project and must rely on the village to issue bonds or put a referendum on the ballot to raise taxes. Village Hall says the owner of a $250,000 house would pay $127 more to help finance a $30 million building, while the owner of a $500,000 home would see a $261 increase in property taxes.
Consultants applying for the job have been asked to submit their credentials by March 18, and both boards will vote on the candidates April 19. There’s no word on what will happen if they disagree.
SHERMER ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TO START THIS SPRING
The village board has signed off on plans for $10.8 million in improvements to Shermer Road between Lake Avenue and Golf Road, including new water mains, a larger storm water system, sidewalks and turn lanes at Glenview, Central, Fir, Dewes, Swensen Park, Harrison and McArthur streets. The state will provide about $2.5 million, while the village picks up $8.3 million in costs.
PARKING RULES STILL IN THE WORKS
Having apparently decided that taxis, limos and trucks with lettering, logos or ladder racks were an eyesore in residential areas, the village board seemed ready to impose limits last week. Owners would have to keep those vehicles in a garage or park them somewhere else, but several residents came forward at last week’s board meeting to object.
“Certain trades need a ladder rack,” said one woman. “If you’re working out of your home and have a painting or construction business, you need to be able to put a ladder on the truck. As long as the ladder’s not there all night, that’s not so bad. If it’s a truck full of junk, that’s not acceptable, but a ladder rack’s not so bad.”
Trustee Mike Guinane, a building contractor, seemed sympathetic. He owns an SUV with a luggage rack and thought that was not very different from a van or pick-up with a ladder rack. “What is it bothering anyone? Are you telling me I can’t park that in my driveway?” he asked.
Trustee Jeff Lerner said the law would not apply to Guinane’s vehicle if he was not using it for commercial purposes.
Guinane attempted to better define commercial vehicles, suggesting those with no lettering should be allowed to have a ladder rack and sit in a residential driveway. President Larry Carlson was not willing to bend. He argued that commercial vehicles are defined by their use and not by their appearance. People in trades who could not fit their vehicles in a garage should accept the need to park them in a non-residential area as a “cost of doing business. The idea is to keep residential neighborhoods residential, not a combination of residential and commercial,” he said.
Another resident pointed out that lettering on the sides of vans or trucks was “an invaluable tool for small business owners. If they’re sitting outside someone’s house, doing a job, they’ve got a little bit of advertising, and a neighbor may call them. These are things that really help small business owners.” He accused the village of micro-managing.
The trustees asked staff to come back with a tighter definition of commercial vehicles at their next meeting, February 15.
CONGRATS AND CONDOLENCES
-- Glenview’s population will soon be going up. Village Manager Todd Hileman tells The Watch he and his wife are expecting their first baby this summer.
-- Kudos to long-time Glenview resident Norma Morrison who will be honored by the Cook County Commission On Women’s Issues. The group has chosen one woman from each of the county’s 17 districts to be celebrated at a downtown Chicago breakfast on March 29 – Morrison’s 89th birthday.
-- The Illinois Association of Park Districts will present State Senator Susan Garrett with its annual award for outstanding leadership on February 28. Garrett was nominated by park districts in the North Shore communities she represents (including Glenview) in recognition of her efforts to reinstate funds for open space preservation.
-- Condolences to the family of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Christopher Zimny, a Glenbrook South graduate who attended St. Catherine Laboure School. Zimny was killed late last month while on patrol with four other men. A friend said three of the five died when a roadside bomb exploded. Zimny’s mother told the Pioneer Press: “Governments start wars, and the young people are the ones who are dying. There are so far 1,500 mothers’ hearts that are torn away. Part of me is missing because my son is gone.” In his memory, residents can contribute to the Christopher Zimny Scholarship Fund. Send checks to Principal David Smith at GBS, 4000 W. Lake Ave., Glenview 60026.
-- Students who plan to attend state universities are invited to apply for General Assembly scholarships through the office of State Representative Beth Coulson. The deadline is May 15. Applicants must live in the 17th district and demonstrate financial need. The scholarships will cover tuition for a year. For details, call 847-724-3233.
MANAGER’S PERK MAKES HEADLINES
Glenview’s new village manager was featured in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune as part of a story on perks offered to local administrators. Reporter Gina Kim wrote, “Todd Hileman moved into Glenview in December with the help of a $150,000 interest-free loan, which will be wiped off the books if he stays as village manager for 15 years.”
Hileman told the Tribune he could not afford to move to Glenview without financial assistance, because housing prices here are roughly double what he paid in Avondale, Arizona.
Kim goes on to describe generous terms offered to other village managers and concludes they are “all part of the reality of requiring village managers to live where they work, especially if the homes go for more than a half-million dollars.” Even policemen working in Chicago get a $5,000 loan for housing, and that perk is likely to be extended to teachers.
On the other hand, the Trib reports that Kenilworth and Hinsdale have saved tax dollars by allowing their managers to live in other communities.
NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS
-- Morton Grove residents will not be allowed to vote on whether off-track betting should be permitted on Oakton Street. A citizen who gathered petition signatures to put that question on the ballot admits he “goofed.” Under state law he needed signatures from at least 8 percent of those who voted in the last gubernatorial race -- 638 people. The petitioner submitted just 396 signatures.
-- The Society of the Divine Word is asking Northbrook to allow construction of new homes on 42 acres near the corner of Waukegan and Willow roads. The land is zoned for office buildings, but the Society says it’s been unable to find a buyer. Tax rates make nearby Lake County more attractive to office park developers. The Society says it’s willing to pay the annexation rate Northbrook would get for office development – more than $1.1 million – along with impact fees to School Districts 30 and 225 if local trustees will allow residential construction.
SAVE THE DATE
-- State Representative Elaine Nekritz and State Senator Susan Garrett will host a public hearing on school tax issues at 11:30 a.m. Monday, February 7 in the Lyceum of Glenbrook south High School. The two are concerned about how property tax refunds will impact public education.
-- The Glenview Village Board will discuss policies for special events at Gallery Park at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 9 in the board room of Village Hall.
-- Political junkies may wish to hear Roosevelt University’s Professor Paul Green speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 8 in the Maynard Room of Glenview’s public library. Green will offer his analysis of the President’s inaugural address and make predictions for the next four years, review the state of the state and answer questions. To register or for more information, call 729-7500, extension 112.
-- The library also offers Internet Essentials, a three-session course which takes beginners through the basics of web searching to the construction of Boolean queries and evaluation of web sites. For those who don't want more than a one-session workshop, sign up for Mouse Basics, Basic Internet or Intermediate Internet at the Info Desk or call 729-7500 ext. 112.
BURRITOS AND HOCKEY FANS SCORE FOR CHARITY
Parents of kids who play for the Glenbrook South hockey team scored a notable hat trick this season with the help of a local restaurant. Just before Thanksgiving, Chipotle provided coupons for free burritos, and the parents exchanged them for $1 donations or cans of food. They collected two large boxes of cans and $280 for the Northfied Food Pantry. Inspired by the experience, they teamed up with Glenbrook North when the two teams played last month. Students Tricia Stamatakos, Katie Proux, Annie Bell, Katie Pionke, Katie and Kelly Liebrandt, Tara Washburn, Bridget Erickson and Emily Nelson joined the parents to collect almost $900 plus cans. Most of the money was donated for the purchase of two hockey sleds to be used by disabled players, but a sizeable donation also went to provide food for needy families in Northfield Township. Chipotle redeemed the almost 1,200 burrito coupons.
READERS WRITE
Daniel Karlin is “troubled, but not surprised by the handwringing over Market Foods’ demise at The Glen Town Center. In fact, I fear other retailers will soon close. As a 48-year resident of Glenview, I am saddened by the lack of professionalism employed for this important project. Its location and traffic design were poor from the start, and most rules of good shopping mall layout, design and merchandising were violated. Unfortunately, our village put the planning and major decision-making in the hands of lawyers, accountants and history majors in lieu of qualified architects, engineers and city planners. I speak from 45 years experience as a licensed architect who reviewed and critiqued hundreds of large mall and shopping center projects for lending institutions, for their conceptual, merchandising, engineering and planning viability, and, of course, to protect the assets of the lenders.”
Kathryn Hall has a kind word for Market Foods: “I have spent many years in volunteer activities at Glenview schools and I can't think of any local business, with the exception of Glenview State Bank, that was more supportive. I was one of the pasta moms for the GBS Varsity Football team, and they provided us with apples and bananas before every game. We had intended it to be just for the varsity team, but they gave us so much, we usually had enough for the lower teams as well. The Market also donated 900 sandwiches, fruit cups and pasta cups for a debate tournament. The quality of the food was good, and the people were great to us. I hope they come back.”
Tom was glad the village board refused a request from Amdur Productions for a $10,000 contribution to this summer’s art fair at The Glen Town Center: “Last year’s show at The Glen appeared to be a huge success. I would also have felt bad for the Glenview Art League who year after year put on their show with little fanfare or support from the village.”
WM is glad the village is starting from scratch on the possibility of a new library and hopes we find the right consultants: “I have a suggestion. The dean of the Northwestern University library, a world class academic facility, lives in Glenview. Why not try to get him involved in the initial planning stages? NU has much experience with library planning, space needs and a great deal of experience with the technical transition ongoing in the library field.”
JH inquires about The Glenview Forum: “The new chat board is a very interesting idea. Just curious, did you set it up?”
The Watch replies: The forum was established by Bob Szafranski -- a Chicago PR executive who plans to move to The Glen this spring. He seems motivated solely by the desire to get conversation going. Having seen how such a forum functioned for The Glen where residents exchange all kinds of information and opinion, he figured all of us could benefit from such a resource.
JAS has some thoughts for Glenview’s fire department, which – under former Fire Chief Joe Robberson -- spent nearly $1 million to establish a new emergency dispatch system after leaving the regional dispatch group known as RED Center. In an effort to build a regional dispatching service, Glenview has invited Robberson, who now heads Wilmette’s fire department, to receive free dispatching services for a year: “First we allow Joe Robberson and Paul McCarthy to make the big mistake of leaving RED Center, and now we invite Robberson back to stick his fingers in the pie again. I have only one question. Why don't we just rejoin RED Center and continue the successful collaboration we had? We could chalk the $1 million up to stupidity. It wouldn't be the first time for this village. The fire department here has offered to provide free dispatching services to Wilmette for one year and hopes that community will eventually pay $150,000 per year to join this community's FireComm system? Sounds like a risky proposition to me.”
Bill Easton responds to last week’s letter about Zero Tolerance: “I guess I’ll have to respond to the ‘concerned parent’ who referred to Mr. Easton as a ‘previously condemned drug user.’ I am not sure which Mr. Easton he was referring to: me -- the father or Sean -- my son, but neither of us ever said, ‘Dangerous illegal drugs, like marijuana, can make you feel like you are being killed inside,’ although Sean has said being expelled from school is like a death sentence. Just for clarification, my son was expelled for having drug paraphernalia in his car. He volunteered for a drug test which came out negative -- meaning he had not had any drugs for the last 3-6 months. I would not consider that ‘a condemned drug user.’
“None of the parents who spoke against the Zero Tolerance Policy believe that we should have drug use in school, nor do any of us believe drugs are not detrimental to our teens, but my firm belief is that the punishment for a first-time offense, especially for paraphernalia, is quite severe.
“One dad told the board he was glad to have a Zero Tolerance Policy in place, since he and his wife first learned their daughter was using drugs when she was expelled for a semester. The man believed that a tough policy allowed his family to nip a problem in the bud, but I suspect a 10-day suspension would have been just as effective in alerting those parents about a possible problem.
“I would like to commend the school board for listening to concerned parents who are willing to publicly speak their mind about what they believe and to back that up with action. I know nothing has been changed, but there is indication that they did listen.”
RN was amazed to learn the park district had hired a consultant to determine whether the ice rink could be expanded: “I'm surprised at what a short memory the park district has about the land around the rink. A study was done years ago, and it was determined that the retention pond behind the rink was not a viable site for expansion, and there was no other place to expand. If there was room, they would have done it when the rink was renovated about 10 years ago. I guess this is another case of our tax dollars being poured down the drain.”
ML “was surprised when they put two left turn
lanes at the intersection of
Lake and Greenwood, both going northbound on Greenwood and going
westbound on
Lake. When they opened the new intersection though, they only opened one
of
each pair of left turn lanes. That continues until today. If they decided
they needed these dual pairs of left turn lanes, why haven't they opened
them? Have they had second thoughts? Or is this just another one of the
not very well planned moves that are routinely made in Glenview
decision-making?”
The Watch replies: Village spokesperson Janet Spector Bishop tells us the temporary traffic signals installed last fall cannot accommodate double turn lanes. Once the permanent signals are in place next spring, the additional lanes will open up.
TJ feels McArthur and some other streets in south Glenview are very poorly maintained: “The village is way out of line for not keeping all of its streets safe for residents, and it shouldn't take a letter from a resident to point this out. Any police car, any village vehicle traveling down McArthur between Harlem and Shermer roads can see it’s in terrible shape. I look at The Glen and see all the amenities and the vigilance that the village is putting into that area while other neighborhoods that have been paying taxes for over 50 years are falling apart. It’s an outrage! The village has even gone so far over the last few years as to repair our concrete sidewalks with asphalt. My mother is a senior citizen, and I have to warn her constantly to be careful or risk turning an ankle or falling, especially at night. I challenge any trustee to drive on McArthur near Elm – to examine the street surface. If this street was in front of their house, it certainly would not look like this one does.”
KL recently heard that Meier's Tavern is in violation of the agreement the owner made with the village, and that he’s being fined $5,000 per day. Could you please confirm what the status of Meier's Tavern really is? I think this is pretty noteworthy.”
The Watch replies: According to Village Attorney Jeff Randall, Meier's has been cited repeatedly by Village Hall for failing to comply with certain landscaping and lighting requirements required by local ordinance. When these matters got to court, Meier’s demonstrated that they had done what was required on the landscaping front, so the village dismissed the original citations, but the lighting problem had not been addressed. The court ordered Meier’s to pay $5,000 -- $500 on each of 10 violations. The village is now issuing citations for each day the tavern remains out of compliance. The matter will be back in court on March 18. If Meier’s has complied with lighting requirements at that time, the judge could let the owner off the hook for the $5,000 and additional fines for the new citations, or he could demand full payment.
Mr. T. observes: “The Watch was five years old on January 17. So, a belated Happy Birthday to you. I hope the next five years are as productive as the last five. I'm sure many readers are not aware of the amount of time and energy it takes to research and write dozens of stories every month, let alone follow up on the issues and provide a heads up on what's about to happen in Glenview and surrounding communities. The fact that you often stir debate on issues we might never even hear about, the fact that other communities have followed your example in creating their own e-newsletters, and the fact that the village has changed the way it communicates with the public just to keep up with you is powerful testament to your value to this community. Thanks for all your efforts over the years.”
And TJ writes: “Keep up the good work. Your insights and news are like a crash civics course, and I appreciate the issues and people you speak up for. Given the way local government has behaved lately, I’d say Glenview is a microcosm of the nation. Clearly, The Glen is a red state – finding favor with those at the top, and the rest of Glenview is blue.”
YOUR TURN: Write to glenviewwatch@aol.com or 3537 Maple Leaf Drive, Glenview, IL 60026. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a contribution to support The Watch. Non-deductible checks should be payable to Glenview Watch. Thanks for your support and for reading. Dean Schott and Sandy Hausman, Co-Editors.