Steep Slope Regulations Approved Unanimously
In February, the Village Council voted unanimously to create added protections for Lake Michigan bluffs by writing into law certain regulations governing what is allowed to be built on steep slopes.
The measure came to be after billionaire Winnetka resident Justin Ishbia bought lakefront properties and flattened bluffs as he consolidated his land to create a 3.7-acre homesite on Sheridan Road just south of Centennial Park — a project that documents obtained by the Tribune showed would cost $77.7 million, including estimated construction costs and land costs.
Steep slope regulations are common in North Shore communities. In fact, Winnetka had been the lone holdout. Glencoe already had steep slope ordinances in place, while Highland Park, Lake Forest, Kenilworth and Lake Bluff all mandate buffer zones that bar construction that is too close to bluffs.
Under the new regulations, homeowners cannot construct non-conforming structures within the steep slope zone, which is defined as the area between the toe of the bluff and the point where the 27-degree steep slope line meets the tableland atop the bluff. Permitted structures include boathouses, decks, rebuilt or remodeled existing structures on existing foundations, mechanical lifts and fences.
The steep slope ordinance was long in coming. It first was considered in 2020 until being tabled for a time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winnetka residents hardly were of one mind about the new regulations. Some hailed the rules as long overdue and a win for the environment, while some lakefront homeowners criticized the new rules by noting that they already spend their own funds protecting the bluffs.
As promised, more than two dozen lakefront homeowners sued the village in May over the regulations in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that the ordinance is depriving them of the value, use and enjoyment of their bluffs. The lawsuit remains pending.
Elder Lane and Centennial Parks’ Progress
Plans to improve Elder Lane Park and Centennial Park, including their beaches, have been on the drawing boards for the past several years.
In 2024, progress was made on the plans for both projects, and the target still is for the beaches to reopen in time for summer 2026. Although the village never has been able to execute a land swap with Ishbia to unite the two parks, the Winnetka Park District did move forward in 2024 with bringing permits for the beach renovations to or closer to the many village panels that would have to approve them. Permits are required to go before the village’s Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and Design Review Board before ultimately being considered by the Village Council.
High waves break near Elder Lane and Centennial Park beaches along Lake Michigan on Aug. 15, 2023, in Winnetka.
Both at Centennial Park and Beach and at Elder Lane Park and Beach, plans call for the construction of boardwalks and breakwaters intended to retain sand for swimming beaches, one of which will be for dogs. The work will be ADA-compliant and will include native vegetation along walking pathways. At Centennial Park and Beach, the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Dec. 9 recommended denial of a special use permit for the plans, which has prompted the park district to go back to its board to address concerns that the zoning board raised relating to pier design, safety, access, parking and restrooms.
At Elder Lane Park and Beach, the Winnetka Park District’s staff has been working with the village’s staff on the plan review, and soon will formally submit those plans to be considered by the various panels and then the Village Council. At present, the plans are complete except for some upland stormwater conveyance details to be worked out. Once the district receives a final stormwater pipe size from the village, the Elder Lane plans will be complete.
Migrant Busing Ordinance
Although changes in U.S. immigration policy now have dramatically reduced the number of busloads of migrants that Southern governors have been shipping to northern states, a major local public policy issue at the start of 2024 involved busloads of migrants being dropped off in Chicago-area communities.
In response, the Winnetka Village Council in January 2024 voted unanimously to prohibit unscheduled one-way busing of 10 or more passengers. Winnetka joined numerous suburban communities that had approved similar regulations following restrictions on drop-offs in Chicago.
As part of the ordinance, buses now are permitted only to make drop-offs on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and only within a 30-minute window of a scheduled arrival. In addition, bus operators are required to complete an extensive approval application and submit it to the village manager at least five days prior to any drop-off. The regulations allowed the village to fine bus company operators up to $750 per passenger, as well as to impound buses.
The village designated the Indian Hill Metra station parking lot as its drop-off location.
Winnetka Park District Gets New Operating Leadership
Winnetka Park District Executive Director John Peterson resigned from the district in January 2024 after almost four years in charge, handing the reins to Shannon Nazzal.
A former Northwestern University basketball player and later a coach of recreational house league teams for 5th and 6th-grade boys and girls, Peterson had become a park district commissioner in 2015. In 2020, he was named the district’s executive director upon John Muno’s departure. Although it’s rare for an elected official to become the top operating official, Peterson had more than 30 years of experience with insurance company Aon, in numerous leadership roles.
Peterson stepped down to join a risk management and brokerage company.
“I have believed and continue to believe the Winnetka Park District is the best-in-class organization,” he said at his final meeting as executive director. “I can’t even tell you how great the staff members are. I can’t articulate it. Every day they collectively always work to do the right thing. Always.”
Major Downtown Developments Approved
In April, the Winnetka Village Council signed off on the One Winnetka site in the village’s downtown, almost 10 years after a developer first brought forth plans for the vacant site.
The project, located at the southeast corner of Lincoln Avenue and Elm Street, would contain up to 59 residential apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms, along with nearly 21,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and 152 parking spaces, 113 of which would be underground.
That wasn’t the only major project winning Village Council approval in 2024. In November, the Village Council signed off on a new three-story combined retail bank branch and office for JPMorgan Chase. Plans for that project, at the corner of Green Bay Road and Elm Street, call for razing the existing J.P. Morgan Private Bank at that site and then constructing the new three-story, 35,000-square-foot building, which would enable the bank to double its Winnetka-based team to more than 50 employees.
Expected to be completed by mid-2026, the new building will be clad in limestone and brick and will have a specially crafted architectural frieze at the top.
“Home Alone” House to Get a New Owner, While Kerry Wood Sells His House
Winnetka’s most famous house, the five-bedroom, 9,126-square-foot vintage Lincoln Avenue mansion used in the “Home Alone” films, went up for sale in May for $5.25 million — more than $3.6 million more than it had sold for in 2012.
The mansion found a buyer just a week later, but the deal still hasn’t been finalized. It’s expected to finally change hands — for a still-undisclosed price — early in 2025.
Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs great Kerry Wood and his wife, Sarah, sold their six-bedroom, 11,250-square-foot vintage and restored, Georgian Revival-style mansion in August for its $8.5 million asking price — making it Winnetka’s highest-priced residential sale of the year up to that point.
Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
