The latest zoning requests in Northbrook include a proposal for a daycare facility and a new home for Glenkirk.
The Northbrook Village Board of Trustees on July 23 offered favorable feedback on both pitches, paving the way for the separate applications to move ahead to the Northbrook Plan Commission.
The vacant site for a possible daycare center and single residence is located on the north side of the 3000 block of Willow Road but the applicant would have to get the blessing of the Village of Glenview to allow two parcels in Glenview to be annexed to Northbrook. The third parcel is in Northbrook.
The approximate six-acre property would be consolidated within the Village of Northbrook for the single-family home with access off Jasper Court and a child day care facility with Willow Road-only access.
The 12,000-square-foot daycare building would accommodate 190 students ages 6 months to 12 and would have an estimated 35 employees with 54 parking spaces.
There would be a right-in, right-out-only access off of Willow Road for educational use. The proposal needs an amendment to the Willow Road Corridor Agreement with Glenview.
The contract purchaser submitted a different proposal last year but trustees had concerns including the proposed Jasper Court full access among other issues such as pedestrian safety.
But with the new proposal, “I think it’s a good use for the property,” Northbrook Village Trustee Johannah K. Hebl said.
“It seems like it’s perfectly situated between Northbrook and Glenview,” said Hebl, chair of the village board’s
Planning and Economic Development Committee.
“I anticipate our kids go to school together, our kids will go to daycare together so I anticipate that location will benefit Glenview residents just as much as it will benefit Northbrook residents so I think the annexation should be encouraged by Glenview,” Hebl said.
The second zoning request on Tuesday evening came from Glenkirk, contact purchaser of a building at 3300 Dundee Road on 3.5 acres owned by Bancroft Architects and Engineers and listed for $7.2 million at https://www.atproperties.com/12002222/3300-dundee-road-northbrook-illinois-60062-nei.
Glenkirk is a non-profit organization that provides home and community services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Chicagoland. See https://glenkirk.org/.
Glenkirk would sell its administrative headquarters offices in Northbrook in the Sky Harbor Industrial Park at 3504 Commercial Ave. at an undisclosed price. Glenkirk is looking at early 2025 for a possible move.
Kim Berenberg, chief executive officer of Glenkirk, told Pioneer Press, “We’re really excited.
“We’ve been in Northbrook for 40 years and we’re celebrating our 70th year of being in existence.”
Glenkirk has been in Sky Harbor since the 1980s and, “There’s a large warehouse attached to it so for years we were doing a lot of production work, and vocational training, and as we’ve evolved our services to be much more community-based,” Berenberg said, “we’re supporting people to get jobs in the community and we’ve just changed the use of our building and we’ve outgrown the office space and we’re not using the warehouse like we used to.
“So we have been looking for a new headquarters and we did not want to leave Northbrook because this is our home and we love it here,” Berenberg said.
“So we were so excited to see the building, lots of office space, as our team grows, we have a home to be at and it’s a beautiful building and the location on Dundee helps us be visible for families that are wondering what services are available in Northbrook,” Berenberg said.
“So I think it’s really important that we have a really strong social service network and Northbrook always has welcomed us, so we’re really, really excited to get past the first hurdle.”
Berenberg added, “There are multiple steps to the process (of the application) so we’re really taking it one step at a time but as soon as we can clear and make sure that all of our plans are appropriate, all the drawings are appropriate, we have some minor work to do and then of course we would sell our current building and move,” but, “One step at a time.”
Northbrook Days and National Night Out
In other action, Northbrook Village President Kathryn L. Ciesla presented two proclamations. One proclamation recognizes the 100th Anniversary of Northbrook Days. Northbrook Days Festival takes place this year from July 31 to Aug. 4 in downtown Northbrook. See https://northbrookdays.com/.
Ciesla handed the second proclamation personally to Northbrook Police Chief Christopher Kennedy recognizing Tuesday, Aug. 6 as National Night Out.
According to https://www.northbrook.il.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=1892#:~:text=Tuesday%2C%20August%206%2C%202024&text=This%20event%20includes%20DJ%20entertainment,free%20and%20open%20to%20all, National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police and community partnerships for collaboration on safer communities.
Northbrook’s National Night (free and open to all) is Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Meadowhill Aquatic Center (1501 Maple Ave.) and includes disc jockey entertainment, giveaways, swimming, snacks, popsicles, drinks, games, raffles, K-9 demonstrations and more.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
