Key moments took place on the Village of Northbrook’s timeline when the Northbrook Village Board of Trustees on March 14 presented a Key to the Village on the same night a new Tesla dealership received key incentives to open its doors.
Northbrook Historical Society President Judy Hughes of Northbrook received the latest Key to the Village. U.S. Olympic women’s hockey silver medalist Jesse Compher received a Key to the Village in 2022.
Hughes, who appeared at the podium for the board’s regular “Community Moment” agenda item, was surprised when the moment turned into a Key to the Village honor.
Hughes was there to promote Northbrook Voices, a recording project sponsored by the Northbrook Historical Society.
After remarks by Hughes was when Northbrook Village President Kathryn L. Ciesla unexpectedly presented Hughes with a framed document and a metal key with green ribbon.
“Judy, you are so inspirational, I think you are a champion for women, but I think you’re a champion for our community,” Ciesla said.
The certificate describes “Northbrook’s Key to the Village” as the recipient demonstrating community, leadership and gratitude. Hughes, a Northbrook resident since 1962, showed emotion and received hugs from well-wishers.
“I’m speechless,” Hughes told Pioneer Press. “It means a lot.”
Hughes and her husband Mike have three children, Rob, recently retired from the Wilmette Fire Department, Patti, who works for Allstate and John, a Village of Northbrook water plant operator.
Judy Hughes describes her career as having been a stay at home mother and continued community volunteer. She is a more-than-once published book author and has resided in Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Glenview and Northbrook.
“A quote that resonates with me is, ‘I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy,’ by Rabindranath Tagore,” Hughes also said to Pioneer Press.
“I find that to be so true.
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“I have met and worked with so many wonderful people and have received so much joy from volunteering in the community,” Hughes said.
“To be honored for doing what I love is unexpected and amazing.”
Ciesla described how Hughes impacted Northbrook’s village timeline with key contributions including school board service, as a community choir participant and as a former member of the Rotary Club of Northbrook, with a history also as a champion of the arts via the Northbrook Arts Commission.
“I was raised under the Rotary four-way test which is service above self and this recognizes that,” said Hughes of the New Trier High School Class of 1962.
Of the Key to the Village, “It recognizes my parents, my grandparents, who lived that life,” Hughes added.
“And I hope it’s a good influence on young people today so that they volunteer and add to the community.”
Hughes served on the Northbrook Caucus among other volunteer roles, leading into today as Northbrook Historical Society president, a post she plans to hold for two more years, Hughes revealed.
“We need new board members,” Hughes said about the Northbrook Historical Society, promoted as the, “Keeper of the Stories” at https://www.northbrookhistory.org.
“We need people who have a passion for Northbrook to come back and join us, to come and make a difference in the community.”
Tesla Key Approvals
The honorarium for Hughes set an uplifting tone to segue to a key discussion about the new Tesla dealership, which will provide its fleet of cars and key card technology to electric car enthusiasts.
The Tesla dealership on the 1000 block of Skokie Boulevard will open in late spring or early summer of 2024 with a goal to start construction this fall. The dealership exceeding 47,000 square feet is located near fitness center Life Time Northbrook and The Elaine, a 338-unit apartment complex.
OnMarch 14, the Tesla project received zoning relief and a custom economic development incentive that Tesla representatives requested.
“We’re very happy to work with you on this and we could not be more excited for you to come into the community,” Ciesla said to Tesla developers in the audience.
According to a village memo, Tesla site improvements by the developer will cost $4.7 million for new construction.
The developer will receive a village rebate of $320,000 for every $640,000 of sales tax revenue generated by auto sales at the dealership, and received by the village annually, up to $1.6 million.
If more than $1.28 million in sales tax is received in one year by the village, the village will pay the developer $640,000.
The zoning relief granted was critical for needs such as tandem parking spaces and roof parking, said Matt Hendy, principal of Fort Union.
Fort Union and Focus are project developers for tenant Tesla.
“The zoning is the most important thing,” Hendy said to Pioneer Press. “It’s a very small site and we needed the village to work with us on exceptions, setbacks and other waivers in order to build this type of a first class facility in Northbrook,” adding the, “village’s cooperation” was required or, “the deal would not have happened.
“We’re really excited,” Hendy added. “It will be one of Tesla’s larger stores in the Midwest.”
Justin Pelej, Focus executive vice president, said of the economic agreement, “It’s important, one of the premiums for this project is the roof parking that we’re providing and this incentive really goes a really long way of helping us make that work at this location.”
Highland Park has a Tesla dealership but, “They (Telsa) need a larger facility and with all of the other car dealerships along Skokie Boulevard there, this (Northbrook) is a natural spot for them to want to be,” Pelej said.
Hendy added, “The real win tonight is on the zoning.
“The Village of Northbrook went well out of their way to make this a reality.”
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Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.