The latest iteration of the proposed One Winnetka development project is under consideration by the Village Council.
The project is up for a preliminary go-ahead from the Council after receiving recommendations for approval from two of Winnetka’s advisory boards — the Design Review Board and Plan Commission — and a recommendation to deny approval of the massive downtown development from the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
An initial proposal for the project was submitted for review in February 2014, said Michael D’Onofrio, Winnetka’s director of community development.
He said a number of revisions have been made to the plan throughout the preliminary review process, including a reduction in peak height from 83 feet to 70 feet, and a decrease in the number of housing units in the mixed-use development from 120 to 71, as well as the elimination of one of two floors of parking beneath the structure.
D’Onofrio said the developer behind the project, David Trandel, CEO of Stonestreet Partners, spent about 45 minutes answering questions from members of public at the Council’s most recent meeting on April 5.
Trustee-elect Kristin Ziv described attendance at the meeting as “standing room only.” Ziv, who will be sworn in as a trustee on May 3, said village officials expect to receive the results of an economic analysis of the project in the next couple of weeks. The independent analysis conducted by CBRE, a commercial real estate company, is being paid for by the developer behind One Winnetka. Ziv said she doesn’t expect the Council to make a decision on the development until the analysis is completed and the results reviewed.
Some Winnetka residents and officials have previously criticized the project for its scale and size.
Louise Holland, a Winnetka Caucus-backed candidate, said she believes she lost her bid last month for a seat on the Council because of her position on One Winnetka. Holland was one of two Plan Commission members to vote against recommending the development for approval by the Council.
She said the village’s zoning rules call for a maximum building height of 45 feet, and the developer “wants a 70-foot building.”
“He calls it five stories, but it’s 70 feet. I couldn’t change my opinion of it, and that’s why I lost,” she said.
Ziv, who ran as an independent in last month’s election, said she believes the Council should move forward with approval of the project if the analysis deems it to be financially viable.
“I believe the Council should let the developer take the economic risk he signed up for, and we should move ahead,” she said. “The development has improved significantly over the course of a long process and 14 public meetings.”
The downtown site of the proposed development is badly in need of redevelopment, and “One Winnetka represents a great asset to the community, and it’s time to give preliminary approval,” Ziv said.
Village Trustee William Krucks, when asked about the proposed project, said he “really can’t comment on a matter pending before us.”
“We just started hearing the matter. It’s going to go on for an extensive period of time,” he said.
D’Onofrio said the issue was continued to the next Council meeting, slated for April 19. If the Council chooses to grant preliminary approval for the development, he said the project would then need to go through the final approval process and back before the village’s three advisory boards for additional review before returning to the Council for final approval. He estimated the process could take between two and four months.
If the Council denies preliminary approval, the developer could choose to revise plans for the project and begin the preliminary approval process all over again, D’Onofrio said.
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Trandel told the Design Review Board in January that if the Council ultimately approves the development, he aims to break ground on the project in June and construction by the end of 2017.
Lee Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.