Spot Check: Making It Job 1
To Be Number 1
It’s out. Wall Street 24/7 declared Winnetka to be the nation’s #2 most livable community . Behind Manhattan Beach. Sure, Manhattan Beach has 286 days of sunshine, 2.1 miles of pristine beachfront, and that laid-back so-cal vibe.

But we’ve got grit. Midwestern, winter-weather-hardened grit. Exactly the stuff that could make it Job 1 to make Manhattan Beach Number 2. Enjoy your – single – year in the sun, MB. It’s game on.
Stormwater. Government at its Best.
So much for it couldn’t be done. On Thursday, February 27 th , the Winnetka Park District signed the last of the Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) needed for the Forest Preserve (FPDCC) to take our stormwater. Take that, flooded mancaves, curb trash, and washed-out landscaping.

Wait, what?
 
We have rain. With no place to put it. The FPDCC has a place to put it. After two years of negotiations, they said they’d take some – but not all – of it. If we agreed to help with a couple of their projects. And if we collected it, stored it, and released it to them, squeaky clean.
 
From land the Village didn’t own. 

That kick-started 18 months of intergovernmental sausage-making between the Village and New Trier, District 36, and the Winnetka Park District. Worth every minute when the next 100-year flood comes 98 years early. Kudos, Trustee Cripe and President Rintz. 

Next it's back to FPDCC for head-nods and go-aheads. And an IGA between the Village and FPDCC. Then design, engineering, cost-outs, neighborhood input. Shovel-to-dirt: Spring 2021. Crossing fingers.
 
Deals and how-they-got-theirs:
 
 
  • Gave 14.2 acre-feet of underground stormwater storage under the lacrosse/soccer fields.

  • Got reno’d playfields, better drainage, new potties, batting cages, and nets so that the first thing a visitor to our Village is greeted by is not some JV’s foul ball.
 
 
  • Gave 10.8 acre-feet of stormwater storage under the open play area in the southern portion of Crow Island’s property.

  • Got potential zoning relief and compensatory storage should it decide to expand Crow Island School.
 
 
  • Gave 65 or so acre-feet on the golf course and under Little Duke field.

  • Got – in the mother of all gets – a totally renovated golf course with improved fairways and restored bunkers, improved grading designed by one of the country’s pre-eminent course designers, and potential zoning relief for any Little Duke field expansion.
 
In. The. Hole.
 
Want more? We've been on this from the beginning. Here you go.
Lakefront Reno. Beaches, Bluffs, and a Stake in the Sand
Talk about grit. The Winnetka Park District had just started Phase 1 of its long-awaited and ambitious 2030 Lakefront Master Plan to make our beaches the envy of the Great Lakes, when Mother Nature threw a fit times two. Twenty-foot high waves and 35 mph sustainables left two of our five beaches without, well, beaches. And threw our shoreline, bluffs and the people who live there into a world of hurt.
 
With sleeves firmly rolled up, the Park District throttled into full crisis mode. 
 
Describing the situation as “fluid,” the District will keep going with two projects already in the works: Better access to Tower Road Beach – the one that's still in good shape – and shoreline breakwater protection at Lloyd Beach – the hardest hit.
 
How hard? Take a look .
 
Winnetka is not the place where dreams go to die. That 2030 thing may take a little longer, look a little different, and be more of a work in progress than the Park Board hoped, but they're on it.
 
Follow the progress here .
Stay on top of beach closings here .
Downtown Reno. Hot Spots and Help for Retailers
You’ve noticed. That corner of Chestnut and Elm. It’s now a thing. New pavers. New lighting. Benches. Planters. They’re going for charm, Winnetka-style. And with the introduction of 21 new trees and the replanting 5 existing trees, they say you’ll get it. 
 
 
Teed up for March, Phase 2, east of Chestnut. Then it’s Lincoln Avenue, north of Elm Street. Watch for more planters, more trees, bridges that make you want to cross them, more ped-friendly crosswalks. A more “village-y” feeling to our Village.
 
The idea is that a more walkable and energetic downtown will build traffic for existing retailers, and convince new stores and restaurants that Winnetka can be their BFF. Cappuccinos, canines, and Instagrammable kids in strollers just can’t be bad for business, right?
 
It’s all a part of the Downtown Master Plan to bring Winnetka – infrastructure, zoning, design, etc. – into the self-driving, 5G 21st Century. With charm.
Hey, Retailers, You’ve Got a Person
Smart towns make sure downtown renos deliver more than pretty planters and cute cobblestone crosswalks.

Winnetka’s smart: It hired a new Economic Development Coordinator. Her name's Liz Dechant.

Point-person on all things local business , her job is to help retailers build awareness and traffic for their stores, merch, and services, help them fast-track permits, make sure they’re up to speed on zoning, policies and procedures, and help them make the most of things like the awareness and foot traffic generated by the rollout of the Downtown Master Plan.
 
Stay on top of Downtown. Sign up for eDevelopments news letter.
 
Get to know your retailers . Thank you, Village Hall!
One Winnetka – Not-So-Deja-Vu
Nothing defines that corner of Lincoln and Elm better than "beleaguered." Hoping to make that past tense, in early January, the developers presented a much-scaled-back concept to the Village Council.
 
Ninety units – yup, density is up, but also up for grabs depending on market analysis closer to shovel to dirt. More parking – all underground. The Village gets to keep its parking lot. And predictably, the developers say they want to work with the Village to make sure Phase 3 of the Streetscape Plan gets done.
 
The Village Council gave them an A for effort – the overall design nods to neighborhood vernacular, and height is within the Village code – and even a little extra credit to explore “Tudor-esque” rather than stick to strict Tudor. Some of the trustees aren't sure what that means, anyway.

Next up, it's around the horn. Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Design Review Board, then back to the Council.
 
Everybody wants something on that corner – probably no one more than the developers who’ve already sunk big bucks into getting to no – several times. But this time, their restraint and common sense could get them close to where they need to be. Cautious. Optimism.
Had enough, Manhattan Beach? We’re just getting started. Our Music Festival , July 4 th parade and fireworks, a potential Spring 2021 shot-in-the-arm for our schools , and the 2040 Comprehensive Plan .
 
Speaking of which…
 
You own Winnetka – the County Assessor just told you how much. Now own it. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan – the one that makes Winnetka Winnetka – is in full-on planning mode. Put your mouth where your money is and get the village that works for you.
 

Wednesday, March 18
6:30-8:30pm North Shore Country Day School | Library
 
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