After years of discussion, some high-profile infrastructure projects are set to start in 2025, according to the administrative leaders of both Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. However, they concede there will be some frustrations for commuters and businesses.
On Jan. 17, Lake Forest City Manager Jason Wicha and Lake Bluff Village Administrator Drew Irvin delivered their annual presentation highlighting the respective state of both communities at a program hosted by the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce.
Wicha and Irvin devoted a large section of their respective reports on what the community can expect regarding construction projects this year.
“There are a lot of things happening,” Irvin said.
The subject of construction had particular resonance in Lake Forest as the city started a streetscape overhaul of Deerpath Road the week of Jan. 13 with Wicha noting city officials have been contemplating a facelift for about ten years.
“It is the main corridor entering into our central business district,” he said. “It had grown a little tired.”
The first phase of the project launched with water main replacement work on Deerpath from Green Bay Road heading east to Western Avenue and is scheduled to run through April. The second portion of the project is set to start in May through August with streetscape changes as the city wants to improve the aesthetics of the area.
However, the construction is forcing the city to close westbound Deerpath from Green Bay to Western and make other changes including parking modifications. Some affected business owners have started to complain to the city about the length of the project and the lack of accessibility to downtown stores.
“We acknowledge the disruption that is going to come from this,” Wicha said. “We ask for your patience.”
Up north in Lake Bluff, Irvin highlighted what lies ahead this year, specifically in three parts of the village.
“There have been many projects in the pipeline for a long time,” Irvin said. “They are happening.”
While a renovation of the intersection at Routes 41 and 176 was listed as part of the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan passed in 2019, construction never materialized.
Yet Irvin believes the initial work will start this year as the state has now awarded the contract for the project with the first meeting of stakeholders set for Jan. 22. He said the first phase involving the installation of a stormwater pump could take about 2 ½ years and he is now hoping for full construction of the intersection beginning in 2030.
In another initiative, Irvin said installation of a six-foot diameter pipe could begin this summer as part of the village’s effort to ease stormwater management concerns.
“It is a long time coming,” Irvin said.
He said installation of the pipe would occur between Moffett Road and Lake Michigan and traffic would be impacted on North Avenue.
Finally, Irvin noted a resurfacing project with corresponding ADA improvements for Sheridan Road from Naval Station Great Lakes to the north to the village’s southern limits is scheduled to start in June. He predicted that would lead to some traffic disruptions.
Back in Lake Forest, Wicha anticipated a renovation of an existing office building in the Conway Park office complex set to be the new city’s police headquarters would start later in the year. Last year the City Council approved a $3.5 million purchase of the building.
Wicha said a full schematic design for the project and he expects construction to start in late summer with police moving into the new building in the summer of 2026. The City Council must still approve the renovation portion of the project which was last estimated to cost as much as $28 million.
In terms of recreation, Wicha said the city would be replacing the pavilion at Waveland Park, which originally opened in 1975.
Regarding residential real estate, Irvin believed many developments are coming for Block Three, the area near the central business district on the 100 block of East Scranton Avenue where a long-closed bank now sits.
For one part of the site, Irvin said a proposal by local developers Todd Altounian and Peter Witmer for an eight-condominium unit building is up for a final review by the village board in February. If approved, he believes construction could start in the spring.
On the other part of the Block Three site, Irvin said the village has heard concepts for a single building set for residential housing. However, a formal proposal has yet to be made.
Finally, with Irvin noting the village needs different types of housing besides the dominance of single-family homes. He said the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals is reviewing the situation in conjunction with a rewrite of the village’s comprehensive land use plan.
“Prices keep going up,” Irvin said. “Nobody is leaving. Everyone wants to stay. That is the conundrum we are in.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
