Trespassing charges against a Winnetka resident who officials said entered a fenced-off construction zone on beachfront property owned by billionaire Justin Ishbia have been dropped as part of a deal made between the resident and village last week.
Ted Wynnychenko agreed he will not again enter the area enclosed by the construction fence along Lake Michigan near Centennial Park, according to the settlement filed Oct. 29. In addition, neither party will proceed with any further claims or complaints related to the trespassing incident.
Peter M. Friedman, the Winnetka village attorney, said the most important thing to the village in seeking to resolve this case was first an agreement for Wynnychenko that going forward he would not try to enter the area enclosed by the construction fence. Friedman said it was also important the village make a clear statement that no member of the general public is to go into the area along the lake enclosed by the construction fence.
“The agreement that the parties signed accomplished both of those goals,” Friedman said.
Jordan Niezelski, a spokeswoman for Ishbia, said Ishbia was not involved in the legal dispute between the village and Wynnychenko and declined further comment for this article.
The citation charge stemmed from a June 9 incident where Wynnychenko, who has been a strong advocate for public beach access across the village, allegedly entered private property immediately south of Centennial Beach. Wynnychenko admitted entering a fenced-in area to police but argued at the time that the fence is in place illegally and the beach beyond it is public land.
Wynnychenko said by email last week he won’t go back to the construction site while the fence is up.
Winnetka Park District officials agreed to a land swap deal with Ishbia in October 2020 which would have granted the village Ishbia’s 261 Sheridan Road property, which is between the Centennial and Elder Lane beaches, in exchange for a similarly-sized parcel on the southern edge of Centennial beach which he could add to his 3.7 acre property at 205 Sheridan Road.
That prompted Winnetka resident Robert Schriesheim to file suit against the Park District, arguing it shouldn’t be giving public land to private owners. That has stalled the swap.
With the swap stalled, park district officials have been unable to combine Centennial and Elder Lane beaches. Officials are currently pursuing separate renovation projects, which stand at around $6.5 million for Centennial beach and around $6.8 million for Elder beach, not including contingency costs, according to figures from an August Winnetka Park District meeting.