'Giddy-up, let's go': Northbrook Court development's approval on track
A special joint meeting of the Northbrook village board and plan commission Tuesday on Brookfield Properties' Northbrook Court planned development laid the groundwork for the plan's approval.
Mall owner Brookfield Properties seeks zoning amendments for a C-4 Shopping District allowing the redevelopment of Northbrook Court into a blend of residential buildings and mixed-use commercial space over roughly 100 acres.
Brookfield's Ben Freeman seeks to "create vibrancy where parking lots currently stand," he said.
Village officials are supportive of the plan.
"I'm giddy-up, let's go," Plan Commissioner Keri Halperin said in closing comments.
Even at more than a 20% decrease in sales tax contributions to the village from 2012-2021 and a 20% vacancy rate, the 47-year-old mall remains the largest commercial contributor to village coffers.
It also provides about $5 million annually in property taxes, Freeman said.
At the Aug. 22 village board meeting, trustees took no action but prepared to move forward on a tax increment financing district (TIF) as well as a business district to help finance the redevelopment.
Brookfield Properties' $750 million investment in the project at 1515 Lake-Cook Road would be the largest in Northbrook, Village President Kathryn Ciesla said Tuesday.
She said at the end of the TIF's life, a 23-year period, assessed value will increase to an estimated $342 million from its current $72 million, with affected school districts 28 and 225 benefiting "almost fivefold."
Master planner Barry Long of Urban Design Associates described a first phase of an open-air retail development of about 30 shops and restaurants, a walkable, open-air space just south of Lake-Cook Road and above the existing Neiman Marcus store and the former Lord & Taylor space.
Freeman hopes to start construction within about 12 months following final approval, by about the middle of 2024, and to open it in 2026. The existing mall would remain open during construction.
Subsequent phases would see the development of a mixed-use housing development starting at the west of the complex and eventually extending south and east to wrap most of the property. It also contemplates redevelopment of the existing enclosed Northbrook Court, with Neiman Marcus remaining.
The concept suggests a progression of building heights increasing inward from the southwest and southeast perimeter of the property to the center, with water retention to the south. The buildings would range from three stories up to 12 stories, and heights from 35 feet to 135 feet.
Among the options the developer seeks by a special permit are a day care, townhouses, two-family residential and hotels. An acre of space dedicated by Brookfield to the village could be used for a fire station, said Village Manager Cara Pavlicek.
There was some concern about the lack of a specific master plan, but village attorney Steve Elrod noted there also was flexibility in the Techny property Northbrook annexed for development in 1988.
Public comment drew a handful of speakers. Residents of the Condominiums of Northbrook Court, due east, feared their sole access road, Rudolph Drive, would be damaged by construction traffic. This resonated with village trustees and commissioners.
The plan commission recommended the application 9-0. The village board is scheduled to approve plans at its Sept. 26 meeting.
"This really is a generational opportunity," Ciesla said.