04/16/2007MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
APRIL 16, 2007
The village board met at 8:48 p.m. following the regularly scheduled board
meeting in the board room of the village hall on Monday, April 16, 2007. In attendance
were:
Village Board Staff
Steven Harris, Mayor Robert D. Franz, Village Manager
Robert Benton, Trustee Philip Kiraly, Asst. Village Manager
Michelle Feldman, Trustee Robert Fialkowski, Finance Director
Harriet Rosenthal, Trustee Barbara Little, Director of Public Works
William Seiden, Trustee and Engineering
Barbara Struthers, Trustee Brad Fink, Asst. Director of Public Works
Matthew Wylie, Trustee and Engineering
REDEVELOPMENT OF NORTHWEST QUADRANT – VILLAGE CENTER
Mayor Harris opened the meeting by asking the board to focus on the broader issues
relating to the potential redevelopment of village owned properties along Deerfield Road
east of Waukegan Road. He wanted to avoid getting into specifics about the two
proposals on the table and, instead, discuss how to proceed with the committee’s report
on the matter.
Trustee Wylie, who chaired the screening committee, summarized the work of that group,
which involved reviewing ten proposals and narrowing the field to two potential
development teams: CRM Properties and Focus Development. He asked the trustees for
reactions to the concepts and what they felt the next step should be.
Initial reaction from the board was that the proposals were too dense and that the scope of
the projects was too large. Some believed that the concepts did not take into
consideration the impact on neighboring properties, particularly as it relates to parking.
Mayor Harris reminded the board that the village has ultimate control since it owns the
property and must grant the zoning for redevelopment. He emphasized that, after fully
vetting the proposals, the board could elect not to redevelop the site. Following
discussion, it was agreed that the two developers should be invited to present their
proposed plans, with the expectation that, once a firm is selected, the plan would be
scaled back. It was noted that the most important decision of the board is to select a
development team that it wishes to partner with in moving forward. Once an acceptable
plan is agreed to, a redevelopment agreement would then be signed before the project
goes through the normal land use review process.
Mayor Harris announced that, although Trustee Wylie will be leaving the village board in
May, he has agreed to continue with the project. He suggested that a future committee of
the whole meeting be scheduled for the presentations. The board agreed.
The meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m.
Minutes prepared by:
__________________________________
ROBERT D. FRANZ, Village Manager