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The Glenview Watch
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RESIDENTS PACK HEARING ON PROPOSED MUSLIM CENTER
It was standing room only at last week’s meeting of the plan commission as members of an Ismaili Muslim congregation attempted to win rezoning of a nine-acre parcel of land near the corner of Golf and Shermer roads.
The Ismailis spent nearly three hours introducing themselves to the community and outlining changes they had made to plans for a house of worship. The national president of the religious group, a Ph.D. physicist and aeronautics engineer with a proper British accent, was the first to speak. Dr. Mahmoud Eboo told the commission that he lives on St. Ives Country Club Parkway in suburban Atlanta. He introduced the group’s Midwest president – a long-time resident of Glenview -- then presented a DVD describing the Ismailis as respectful people who treasure tolerance, diversity, education and U.S. citizenship.
“I have come to Glenview to express our appreciation for the professional manner in which the commissioners have considered our application and to personally ensure that our community and our consultants do what is reasonable and appropriate to accommodate the issues and concerns of Glenview residents,” Eboo said.
“The Ismaili community extends an invitation to anyone who wishes to know more about us. I am sure that any of the Ismailis in Glenview would be pleased to sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about their families, their work, their interests and their faith,” he said.
Eboo claimed 20-50 people would attend services on weekdays at 5:15 a.m., with 200-250 coming for weeknight prayers and 600-650 on hand each Friday evening. He firmly denied an earlier claim by the Ismaili community that people might arrive as early as 3:30 a.m. for morning meditation but was reluctant to say exactly when the house of worship would open. “We don’t actually have, at any of our centers around the world, a fixed time that says we open at a particular point in time,” he explained.
A crowd of skeptical neighbors laughed.
“Our service is from 5:15 to 5:30,” Eboo continued. “If someone came by half an hour early, we wouldn’t lock them out.”
“I’m going to belabor this,” said Commissioner Peter Brinkerhoff. “We were handed a memo from somebody saying that prayer services are held every day in the pre-dawn and evening hours. ‘Pre-dawn service hours are 3:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m.’ It goes on to say morning service attendance is light – about 200 congregants. I’m not making this up. We received this information from your group, so we’re getting very confused.”
Eboo insisted there would not be 200 people on hand for morning services, and they would not begin until 5:15 a.m.
He said three big holidays each year might swell the ranks with friends and students from nearby universities – bringing 800-900 people to Glenview. He admitted the congregation might also grow by about 15 percent over time but said the Ismailis would prefer to limit the number of new members. “We don’t like to become too big. It then loses the community dynamic.”
The group’s architect, Glenview resident Ellen Bailey Dixon, said the Ismailis had agreed to move 10 of their 350 parking spaces to the east side of the building for early morning worshipers. She explained that residents living north and west of the property would be less likely to hear car doors slamming there. Pressed on whether congregants would actually park in that location – farther from the doors – Bailey Dixon said Ismailis were obedient people. “If they’re requested to park in those spaces, they will do it.”
The crowd guffawed.
Bailey Dixon said parking lot lights would be on timers and outlined plans to add trees and a nine-foot fence to further insulate the neighborhood. In response to a question from Commisioner Steve Buckland, Bailey Dixon said no air conditioning units would be placed on top of the building – a structure that would rise to 35 feet at its highest point.
A traffic expert pointed out that under current zoning a 70-foot high office building could be built at the current location, and that might generate three times as many cars Monday through Friday during rush hour. He said volunteers at the house of worship would direct traffic before busy services and urged Glenview residents to visit the Ismaili’s current location in Northlake. “It’s in the middle of a neighborhood. If you want to talk sound and light, please go see this facility. They’ve never had a complaint. They have 20 volunteers out there. They don’t park on streets they’re not allowed to park on. They’re very respectful to their neighbors.”
Commissioner Brinckerhoff worried about 200 cars leaving the house of worship at the same time each Friday night. The traffic engineer said that was unlikely since members of the congregation usually hang around to socialize after services, leaving over a two-hour period. “More importantly, when they’re exiting it’s 8, 9 o’clock. Traffic volumes are much lower on Golf and Shermer,” he said.
A real estate expert testified that proximity of churches in Glenview or to the Ismaili House of Worship in Northlake had no negative impact on real estate values and presented the commission with data from both communities.
Chairman Silver dismissed the analysis from Northlake, saying it was “a very working class town. The values of the houses, the size of the houses – everything is completely different.”
“Yes, but the rate of appreciation -- of the desirability of living next to a house of worship…” the expert began. Silver cut him off to challenge several other aspects of the analysis. When the expert attempted to defend his study, Silver concluded: “It’s late, so I don’t want to belabor it. I could debate you all night.”
He then encouraged area residents to consider hiring a lawyer and some experts of their own “to get your game plan going.”
To see drawings and plans for this project, visit the village website at http://www.glenview.il.us/revize/glenview/commissions/plan_commission_cases.htm .
OPPONENTS MAKE THEIR CASE
At 10:30, Silver allowed one man to speak for the Park Manor Civic Council and promised other area residents would be heard at the next plan commission meeting, September 13.
Tom Morrison predicted the new house of worship would create “undue hardship” on area residents: increased traffic, parking on nearby streets, noise and light pollution. He argued that more traffic would put children walking to school at increased risk, while slowing emergency vehicles headed for homes in the neighborhood.
“Traffic in the area is already extremely heavy during peak periods,” Morrison explained.“Cut through traffic is already a serious problem in Park Manor. Golf and Shermer is a very dangerous intersection, and MacArthur and Shermer is a dangerous intersection due to a curve in Shermer Road.”
Editor’s note: There is, actually, a win/win solution to these problems – one already being discussed at Village Hall. Residential streets that run east from Shermer Road could be closed at Shermer -- turned into cul de sacs. Homeowners would have to use Harlem instead of Shermer when traveling beyond their neighborhood, but the change would make cut through traffic impossible and spare locals a long wait during those few times when the house of worship creates traffic back-ups. Residents could also ask Village Hall to restrict parking on their streets – something people who live near the Metra Station, high school and Apache Day Camp have done.
SILVER SENDS BIGOTS PACKING
Before beginning the hearing, Plan Commission Chairman Howard Silver warned that the race, religion or national original of petitioners would have “no bearing on this commission. We will look at this strictly from a planning perspective to see what it does to the traffic, what it does to the neighborhood and decide accordingly. The fact that these people may or may not be someone you want in your neighborhood is not relevant, so please, if you’re here for that reason, I invite you to leave right now.”
Waving the ecumenical flag in support of Silver, a rabbi from the Jewish BJBE congregation spoke in for allowing the Ismaili Muslims to build here. John Lindner told the commission, “We would welcome [another religious institution] for the fabric of the community and have all the faith that the issues of traffic and noise can be worked out for the spiritual health of the community.”
Editor’s note: Other speakers were not so respectful. Morrison repeatedly referred to the Ismaili House of Worship as a “HOW.” The abbreviation may not have seemed rude to him, but imagine a Muslim publicly referring to a cathedral as a “CATH” or a synagogue as a “SYN.” It was a flip decision on Morrison’s part – one that allowed him to conclude his talk with a cutesy refrain. Local law requires that religious institutions meet certain criteria in order to win approval for construction. “How does the proposed HOW meet the special critera?” Morrison asked. “No how! How will the increase in nuisances and traffic meet the special criteria? No how. How does the public desire and necessity for the proposed HOW meet the special criteria? No how.”
WILL POLITICS DECIDE THE CASE?
The plan commission may decide the Ismailis’ case on its merits, but the village board will have the final say, and the trustees are elected, not appointed. The thought of losing hundreds of votes in the neighborhood around Shermer and Golf could prompt some to reject the house of worship, inviting a lawsuit.
Allan Ruter may have offered an early sign of the political fight to come. Long active in Glenview’s main party, Unite Glenview, he was appointed to the appearance commission by former Village President Larry Carlson, then promoted to the plan commission by President Cummings – both members of UG. Once a teacher at Glenbrook South, Ruter recently moved to Glenbrook North – perhaps because he plans to run for village board in 2007 and does not want to mix politics and profession.
When the lawyer representing the Ismailis began his presentation last week, Ruter was feeling feisty. With more than 100 prospective voters watching, he picked a fight over attorney Mike Downing’s claim that a majority of plan commissioners thought rezoning the land for residential use was appropriate.
“Excuse me, Mr. Downing. I must question that,” said Ruter. “A couple of commissioners expressed that opinion, but most of us did not. I, for one, withheld judgment.”
“You did, and Commissioner [Linda] Witt did, and [Commissioner] Buckland wasn’t here,” Downing replied. “But I think the remainder indicated residential.”
“That’s three,” said Ruter. “The chairman did not. Three commissioners may have indicated their tentative thoughts, but that’s it.”
“Three to one is a majority in my opinion,” Downing replied.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATORS TRY TO BUY A SPOT IN GLENVIEW
The market for office space in north suburban Cook County has, historically, been weak with many companies preferring to locate in Lake County where taxes are lower. Even so, planners wanted an office park at The Glen to help build the local tax base and retire a tax increment financing plan (TIF) at The Glen. They were reluctant to preserve a prairie in the area, because it would generate no revenue, and they may not like the looks of a new prospective tenant – the United Methodist Church Pension Board.
That non-profit group hopes to relocate from Evanston, and in a move calculated to overcome possible objections by the village and school districts, it has offered to pay $3.3 million into Glenview’s TIF fund – the amount it would pay on a 100,000-square-foot building over seven years if the church was required to pay taxes.
"This would be a significant contribution to the retirement of the TIF and would help District 225 realize the tax benefits of The Glen sooner than otherwise possible," the board wrote in a memo to the high school board of education.
Glenview now hopes to end the TIF by 2014, at which point school districts 225, 34 and 30 would begin to collect their legal share of tax dollars from The Glen.
The Prairie Glen Corporate Campus is 75 percent sold or leased according to Don Owen, Glenview's director of capital projects and planning.
TRUSTEES OKAY ‘NO TURN ON RED’ AT GLENVIEW AND WAUKEGAN
Local residents complained of nearly being hit by cars. A traffic expert testified that the village should ban right turns on red at the northern corners of Waukegan and Glenview roads. Such turns are already illegal on the southern corners, and by a close vote, the trustees have now agreed to ban them all around.
Glenview had asked traffic analyst Tim Doron to study the intersection after residents at downtown redevelopment hearings complained that pedestrians crossing in the area were not safe.
Over the last three years, Doron said there was one accident involving injury to a pedestrian . (A 13-year-old cyclist was hospitalized in 2004 after being hit by a car driven by a senior citizen.) He worried about the safety of pedestrians crossing from the northwest corner of the intersection, since southbound drivers turning west “are looking to the east – looking for a gap to make the turn." At the same time, a building on the lot line blocked drivers' views of pedestrians until they were perilously close to the curb. A person traveling on a bike at about eight miles per hour would give a motorist about three seconds to react, Doron said. “It’s not a good situation. A kid on a bicycle with the iPod in his ears sees a green light, and I know kids. They see a green light, and they’re going to fly. Meanwhile, the adult in the vehicle is looking the other way – looking east!”
Noting that there’s an elementary school (OLPH) near the intersection, Doron said he did not think it wise to limit the ban to rush hour. “The school children are mid-day, and in the summer time there still is a substantial amount of pedestrian activity at 7 p.m.,” he said.
Some trustees worried that a restriction on right turns might increase traffic jams in the area at rush hour, but Doron tried to allay their fears. If the bans were imposed he predicted only 7-9 cars would stack up before the light turned green.
Trustee Debbie Karton was confused. Why, she wondered, should Glenview do anything at this intersection when others in the village could be equally dangerous. And would “no turn on red” at this intersection set a precedent for other parts of town? “It’s very gray,” she said.
Trustee Paul Detlefs and Trustee Kim Woodrow noted that many citizens had come forward during the downtown planning process to complain about Glenview and Waukegan roads. One resident of the Circles told the board that she and her husband cross both streets each morning on their way to the Metra station. “We are extremely careful, but despite consistently heeding the 'walk/don’t walk signs,' we have almost been hit several times. It’s pretty frightening,” she said, adding that a ban from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. would not help commuters leaving home early each morning.
“I’m all for erring on the side of safety in all cases,” said Trustee Jim Patterson, launching into a verbal ramble. “At the same time, we’re trying to help the flow of things. One of the most consistent complaints we hear as a board is traffic wherever it is, and so there’s a balance. How do we help the traffic through and, at the same time, be concerned? Especially, y’know, I mean it’s 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and they’re walking to the train at 6:45. I mean each one of these pieces is critical to the survival of individuals, and so on one hand I look at this and think people – there’s going to be an accident no matter what happens. There’s going to be an accident at some point in life, and everybody has some responsibility – whether it’s the pedestrian, the cyclist or the car, and the automobile has a greater responsibility to yield, but at the same time I’m trying to figure out how do we allow the traffic to continue through without totally stopping it? I think we need to figure out a way to do this.” He worried that traffic would jam up and people would “come out in droves” to complain. The monologue continued for another minute before Patterson concluded, “I don’t know that this is going to fix it is where I’m headed.”
Detlefs repeated Doron’s claim that the ban would not have much impact on traffic flow. “At rush hour Glenview Road is all backed up. You’re not going to be able to turn right on red anyway, and this is almost like an expressway feeder system that’s metering the traffic onto Glenview Road, which quite frankly we probably need at rush hour.”
Woodrow then moved to ban right turns on red. Detlefs offered a second, but before the board could vote, Trustee Pat Cuisinier asked if there were some other options that could be considered.
“Possibly limiting the time from a 7 a.m. to a 7 p.m. on those corners,” said Karton.
“We have to vote on the motion that’s on the table right now,” said Cummings.
Trustee Phil White pointed out that there are no visibility problems for westbound traffic turning north onto Waukegan road, and Cuisinier agreed, hoping to limit the ban to the northwest corner, but Detlefs would not go along.
“I am a pretty frequent user of that westbound to northbound turn, as is Trustee Woodrow, and it will affect me personally, but the fact that we had an injury accident to a youth in our village at that intersection really made me think hard about that. When I read that accident report – that’s why I’m seconding the motion.”
“We have people in the audience who’ve come to tell us it’s an issue,” added Woodrow, “and we’ve heard it in spades at two of our downtown workshops.”
The board then voted to ban right turns at both corners. Cuisinier, Patterson and White opposed the idea. Detlefs, Karton, Woodrow and Cummings supported it. A second vote is required before the proposal becomes law.
SEX MAY SELL ON MILWAUKEE AVENUE
Glenview Trustees will consider imposing restrictions on adult bookstores during their next meeting, Tuesday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Right now the village has no sexually oriented businesses, but one is expected to open at 3204 Milwaukee Ave.. For more information, call village planner Jeff Brady at 847-904-4306.
GLENVIEW’S FINEST TAKE TIME TO PLAY
Residents of Parkview Street held their annual block party Saturday night, and Glenview’s fire department provided special entertainment. Not only did they hoist the kids into the back cabin -- previous years it was only the front seat -- but they opened the fire hydrants, attached the hoses and let the kids spray each other. (Obviously, they adjusted the water pressure or some kids would have found themselves in Kane County.)
Then some new guests arrived – members of Glenview’s police department. They hobnobbed with the neighbors and enjoyed a meal before going back to battling crime.
SAVE THE DATE
The Downtown Plan Committee will meet Tuesday, August 30 at 7 p.m. in the board room of Village Hall. Development Director Mary Bak promised “interesting findings and observations about the possible future” of the area. The public is encouraged to attend or to watch the proceedings on cable.
READERS WRITE
SH wonders “why in the world the restrooms in Glenview parks must be locked on the weekends. Many men relieve themselves in the bushes or get in their cars and drive home. If The Glen can have open restrooms, why can't all of the parks, at least on weekends?”
The Watch replies: Fred Gullen, who looks after Glenview’s park facilities, described this as a perennial problem. While bigger park restrooms are open all day, there are 13 field houses in smaller parks with restrooms that can be accessed from inside or out. These facilities are used for summer camp programs. To help assure camper safety, the district wants to keep people from entering the restrooms without the counselors' knowledge. Therefore, these bathrooms are open only from the inside while camp programs are in session.
There have also been some scheduling problems at Flick Park where staff unlocks restrooms in the morning. They’re cleaned at night and secured until the next day. For a while, staffers were locking the facilities when their shifts ended at 3 p.m. The district recently learned of that problem, and those restrooms are again open all day.
JAS questions Glenview’s determination to keep its library downtown: “Every time I read about the library (that I wonder if Glenview will ever see) my common sense goes into high gear. If that library stays in its current location, it is an accident or death waiting to happen. Everyday Glenview Road and now Harlem Avenue get more congested, and we are going to build a library right smack in the middle of it -- a library that we expect kids to use, kids on bicycles and walking. Consultants’ brains can never replace common sense.”
SI agrees with the comments of Ron Standberg “who complained about cut through traffic on Dewes Street. My wife, three children and I have lived on Dewes St. since 1999. From day one we noticed that people not only use but abuse Dewes as a way to get around Glenview Road traffic. Avoiding traffic is one thing, but going at speeds in excess of 40 miles an hour is crazy. After all, if you are going to find another route, you must play by the rules of that route. I am also continually amazed that when we travel down Dewes at the posted speed of 20 m.p.h., some people have the nerve to pass us because they believe we are going too slowly. It's so bad that my 2-year-old son screams, ‘Slow down!’ from our front yard to speeding cars. The village has told us that since no serious accidents have occurred, they are unwilling to take corrective action. Is Glenview waiting for one of the 20 or more children (most under the age of 8) that live on Dewes to get hit by a person trying to shave a minute or two off their commute? I don't want to be that parent. Officials did conduct a study to assess the amount of traffic on Dewes, but the day they chose was a holiday. I'm not sure that stop signs would reduce speeds, but it would be a start. We were told that speed bumps can't be installed because Glenview's fire trucks and police cars use Dewes as a way to get around Glenview. I understand the need, but this begs the question: Should these vehicles be going down a residential streets that fast either? It's all about priorities. Convenience versus the safety of Glenview's children – a no brainer! I'd love to see speed bumps or restricted traffic on Dewes St.”
And Jim Kubik responds to Howard Schneider’s letter opposing widening of Willow Road because he believes that would prompt even more drivers to use that route: “Probably nothing would make the congestion on Willow Road disappear, but bringing it into the 21st century by widening it to four lanes would go a long way toward relieving congestion and improving travel times. We all have to face up to the reality that there are many more cars on the road now than in the horse and buggy days when Willow Road was built as a two-lane road. How much longer are we going to have to put up with this anachronistic bottleneck? There is no evidence to suggest that more cars would go out of their way to use Willow Road if it were widened. The bottom line: Willow Road is a state road, not a Northfield local street. The residents of all communities who use Willow Road should not let themselves be held hostage to the whims of a few Northfield residents who oppose widening and the local politicians who look to them for support.”
The Watch replies: Studies done in California do, in fact, suggest that widening roads draws more traffic to them, and that travel times do not always improve.
SD thinks the village should find another possible location for the Ismaili mosque: “Not too long ago, an organization wanted to put a holocaust museum in the middle of a residential neighborhood of Skokie. The neighbors did not want the added traffic and congestion and opposed it. The village of Skokie offered an alternate site in Skokie which was accepted, and everybody was happy.”
And Cindy Morrison objects to being called a “south sider. That label was really not needed, and you make us out to be a racist bunch. How quick you are to judge! Shame on you. At all of our organized Manor Park meetings, the talk has been about people like you who assume that we do not want the house of worship because of its faith. WRONG! Are you listening to what we are saying? I think not! The parcel of land and surrounding community will not accommodate this structure and the proposed additions that will be added in the years to come. End of story! I sure hope you get this through your head!”
The Watch replies: We used the term ‘south sider’ as a purely geographic description. You do live on the south side of Glenview, and we can’t imagine why you would object to that designation. We’re well aware of your concerns regarding the Ismaili house of worship: increased traffic along Shermer Road, the possibility of light and noise pollution. The Watch never suggested you were racist, but we did point out that the law does not allow Glenview to discriminate, and should the village refuse permission for a Muslim house of worship when it has okayed numerous churches, the community could be subject to charges of discrimination in court.
Members of the Glenview Library Board sent this letter: “Now that the Library Evaluation Study prepared by Sente Rubel Bosman and Lee has been made public, the Glenview Public Library trustees and staff are pleased to be working together with the village trustees and staff to develop plans for a new, state-of-the-art library. It is our belief that the residents of Glenview need and deserve a first class library -- one which will be versatile and which will enable us to adapt to future library changes in services, technology and programming. As Library trustees, we envision a library that will serve all segments of our community. Our vision is to accomplish this by providing ample room for public meetings, space dedicated to children’s activities and programs, space for new and existing materials in a variety of formats, quiet study rooms and space for technology and technology training. As a popular materials center, the new library should offer educational and cultural opportunities for patrons of all ages. The library should be easily accessible to everyone, and should provide plenty of parking.
“The path that this new library will take is still unclear. We are at the beginning of a very important project. Achieving a library that is the right choice for our community will take time, energy and the cooperative efforts of many people. We ask the support and patience of Glenview residents as the planning process unfolds.”
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.