On Tuesday night, August 8, the Wilmette Village Board voted to Not Approve the proposed development at 607-617 Green Bay Rd., the old Wil-Shore Ford property, by Wilmette Village Center, LLC. For the developer, this was the second rejection, the first being the Village Plan Commission's refusal to Approve it in July.
The Village criticism of the proposed building centered on the height, building mass, lack of "open space", lack of an adequate number of affordable housing units and parking. Also included in many of the commentaries were concerns for traffic flow and the choice of architectural style and a lot of personal opinions for design (many of which are not economically feasible).
In the research focus groups I attended, the residents liked the design and were NOT overwhelmed by the height or the mass. They welcomed the designs that matched and even enhanced the existing housing options in the Village. Almost to a person, the design of the building was described as a HUGE improvement. People were excited by the potential to attract new retailers and possibly a restaurant to compete with Bluestone (Evanston) and Little Ricky's (Winnetka). They voiced the need to avoid increased traffic problems but had ZERO issues with the traffic plans described. Most importantly they welcomed the development of a long-time eyesore in the heart of the Village.
Whether the board acted wisely "to protect" Wilmette from "becoming another Evanston or Highland Park" remains to be seen. (I'm not sure becoming "another Evanston or Highland Park" is such an bad thing.) But this is an unsettling turn of events.
Wilmette has wonderful housing stock. It has wonderful schools. It has so much going for it ... except a downtown. Now, the Village Board should be held accountable for stimulating commercial growth. It needs to find a way to attract new activity that can breathe vitality into the downtown area. It needs to put a plan into place that will enable/encourage condo builders to build attractive condominium units that appeal to
- Buyers who are down-sizing and don't want large yards and don't want to leave Wilmette
- Older parents who want to be near their families
- Older parents whose children want them to be nearer to the family
- And, people moving out of Chicago who are not quite ready for the full suburban experience.
Who knows if the Board acted wisely in rejecting this proposal. As our neighboring communities thrive commercially, Wilmette is stuck in neutral.
NB: For the record, I pitched the brokerage business for the proposed building and was retained to act as the real estate agent for the project once it was built. But I wrote this post as a long-time resident of Wilmette. I love this village and have raised my kids here. I live only a few blocks from the site of this development and drive by this eyesore every day.
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