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Neighbors of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, who for months fought the school’s proposal to turn two practice fields near their homes into parking lots, say they are hopeful Loyola’s announcement of a long-term plan for its campus signals the start of better neighborhood relations – and an end to the school’s parking lot plans
The “Loyola Forward 2025” plan, which school officials announced in an Oct. 20 press release, will look at how functional, safe and secure the campus at 1100 Laramie Ave. is, focusing on issues such as traffic and parking as well as the school building itself, according to the release from Robin Hunt, Loyola’s public relations director.
It signals a step back from plans, including the parking lot proposal, that the private Jesuit high school has previously made, Hunt said in an Oct. 28 email.
Hunt also acknowledged that the parking lot fight, which led to the discovery that Loyola has repeatedly exceeded a 2,000-student enrollment cap Wilmette imposed on it in 1993, affected the decision: “Both have made it clear that Loyola needs to approach this through a more inclusive and thoughtful process.”
However, she said, “Our need for additional parking to accommodate our faculty and staff is a part of the master planning process.”
Area residents have fought since January to keep two Laramie Avenue school practice fields from being turned into 138 parking spaces, citing traffic, congestion, loss of green space and property values as well as safety issues.
The group North Shore Neighbors to Preserve Green Space, which formed to oppose the parking lots, brought enrollment violations to the attention of Wilmette officials in late March as part of that fight. In May, the village told the school it must cut its enrollment or ask for relief from that requirement. In June, Loyola officially halted its parking lot zoning requests.
John Adler, Wilmette’s community development director, said Nov. 1 that he believed the parking lots have been shelved at least temporarily “because they don’t know what’s going to come out of the master planning process.”
He also said Wilmette still wants the school to tell the village what it plans to do about its enrollments, and expects a response by the middle of this month: “Are they looking to alter the enrollment number, or is there something that may come out of the master planning process?”
The school’s board of trustees approved the “Loyola Forward 2025” effort in June, Hunt said, after deciding that “we needed a different approach toward the campus and the community.”
“The campus has evolved over the years without an overall plan,” Hunt said, saying the study might find better campus traffic patterns for cars and pedestrians, or might suggest look at potential changes in the location, use and shape of the existing school building.
School officials will seek input from staff, parents, and students, but also from neighbors, village officials and village residents, Dennis Stonequist, assistant to Loyola Academy President Rev. Patrick McGrath, said in the press release.
Thornwood Avenue resident Dory Hixon, who helped organize opposition to the parking lots, said she and other residents were happy that the planning process has put the parking lots on the back burner.
“It’s probably 10 years too late. They could have started this 10 years ago, but it’s better late than never,” she said.
Loyola has hired The Lakota Group, a Chicago-based land use consultant that has also done work for Wilmette and for other schools, including Notre Dame University and the Baker Demonstration School, to lead the long-term planning process, Hunt said. One of its tasks, interviewing school neighbors, began in the last week of October, Hunt and some neighbors said. That work will continue for the next month or so, Hunt said in the email.
Manor Drive resident Anne Nagle, who said she has already been interviewed by the consultants, called the experience very positive.
“The Lakota Group is a really sharp group. We left thinking maybe this would turn the tide,” Nagle said.
Ariel Weissberg, a spokesman for North Shore Neighbors, said, “We welcome the ability to have material discussions with Loyola’s representatives. We’re going to share in an open dialogue our views and we are there to hear their views.”
Manor Drive resident Larry Swibel agreed.
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“If everything is on hold until there’s a master plan that can be shared with neighbors, the fact that they’re willing to share it with us is good,” he said.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy