Allstate deal, Landmark, sustainability among State of the Village highlights

Mike Jenny smoothly delivered his second State of the Village address as Glenview village president on Nov. 4.

"This is becoming one of my favorite parts of the year," he told the audience at the Glenview Public Library.

It was a good turnout, though exactly one year prior it seemed pandemic uncertainties drew a larger crowd to the library's Community Room.

Still, "there's so much happening," said Meghan Kearney, executive director of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce, event sponsor with the League of Women Voters of Glenview/Glencoe.

Jenny thanked village staff, trustees and commissioners, the chamber, Friends of Downtown Glenview, and library Director Lindsey Dorfman for having everyone there. He acknowledged the attendance of past President Jim Patterson, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, and Northfield Township Supervisor Shiva Mohsenzadeh.

Jenny recalled the Aug. 23 village board recognition of 35 dispatchers, firefighters and police officers who assisted Highland Park during the Fourth of July shooting.

He said there was no way to overstate the importance of the recent annexation and massive development at the former Allstate campus along Sanders Road. Jenny reminded the crowd the logistics center would add $134 million of new property taxes through 2040, $90 million going to school districts 31 and 225.

He identified the former Scot Cleaners, 966 Waukegan Road, purchased by the village in 2022 for parking and development; and the upcoming Landmark Theatre in the former ArcLight Cinema space, 1850 Tower Drive, in The Glen Town Center, as "spark sites" that came out of the 2021 Glenview Connect process.

"Another great example of how local government works," Jenny said of landing the Landmark on a 20-year guaranteed lease obligation. He said it would open "in the next few weeks."

Jenny noted the establishment of 130 affordable housing units at Thomas Place Senior Living, 2200 Patriot Blvd., which prompted a later suggestion from an audience member that a more binding affordable housing ordinance should be considered.

The same speaker asked about a rumored proposal for luxury apartments at the former Scott Foresman/Pearson Education complex. Jenny said nothing had been submitted for the space.

There also was nothing new with the Signode property, 3650 W. Lake St., he said, but that a redevelopment application for Pearson could arrive in early 2023.

"We've known about these sites for some time and no formal applications to redevelop either have been submitted yet," Jenny said. "But recent developer inquiries have focused on a mix of single-family housing and multifamily residential housing."

There was no mention of the second attempt at a Willows Creek Shopping Center proposal, up before the village board on Nov. 15, or the Drake project at 1850 Glenview Road.

Boosting communications had been an emphasis in 2021, aided by the hiring of full-time Community Engagement Manager David Just.

In 2022 sustainability was key: a tree-planting incentive program, passage of an Urban Forest Management Plan, an update to the 2008 Plan for Nature, ongoing creation of a new Bike & Pedestrian Plan, and a new, full-time sustainability coordinator, Molly Laycob.

A Patriot Lane roundabout in The Glen Town Center, stormwater improvements in the Tall Trees neighborhood and an inventory and a 50-50 cost sharing program to replace lead water lines were among the infrastructure highlights Jenny noted.

For 2023, the Capital Improvement Program budget of $35.6 million includes the Tall Trees drainage work, 8.4 miles of road resurfacing or reconstruction, and rehab of the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Zenith Drive near Hangar Two.

Jenny included a graph that indicated Glenview residents pay less in property taxes than 21 neighboring communities. He said the village is one of 13 in Illinois to have a Moody's AAA credit rating, which it has maintained for 32 years.

He said at this time residents should see no increase in village property taxes.

However, a word of caution.

"Economists around the country have speculated about the potential for a recession," Jenny said. "And while we can never know what the future will bring, we need to continue our policy of being prepared for any possibility. To plan for a potential recession, staff is evaluating alternative revenue expectations as part of the five-year financial forecast."

Also, the Glenview Park District's Anna Ables and Michelle Brody of Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook put in a plug for the Glenview Values Project they co-chair. Dating to 1991, it's a collaboration between public and private leaders to identify and support people and causes that need help. Meetings will start up again Jan. 3.

Ables is available for questions at anna.ables@glenviewparks.org, and Brody at michelle.brody@ysgn.org.