Hart property owner revises plans, requests zoning change back to commercial

Revised plans and an application for rezoning the Hart property once again for commercial development have been submitted by the property's owner to the Glenview plan commission.

GW Properties has been working to develop the former 8.35-acre parcel, at the southwest corner of Willow and Pfingsten roads, into the Willows Crossing Shopping Center, which would include a 35,000 square-foot grocery store and three multi-tenant buildings. Work was stopped at the site last summer when neighboring residents, who had previously opposed commercial development at the site, became vocal about the removal of trees that were supposed to be retained.

A stop-work order was issued by the Village of Glenview following the removal of the trees. Late last year, the village changed the property's zoning to residential after an Illinois Appellate Court ruling on a lawsuit filed by a group of residents.

Among the changes GW Properties is submitting is aligning the access point on Pfingsten road with the entrance to neighboring Plaza Del Prado, and changes to access points on Willow Road.

The revised plans and rezoning application were to be discussed at a plan commission meeting last Tuesday, but resident Carol Sullivan informed the village that proper notification about the meeting was not given in a Glenview newspaper, so it has been moved to the agenda for the Feb. 23 meeting.

Sullivan, a prominent member of Willow Pfingsten SW, a group that opposes commercial development of the property, said the revised plan is essentially the same as the previous one, and that the zoning should remain residential.

Residents understand that it was inevitable that the property would be developed, she said, but they oppose commercial development mainly due to increased traffic in the already congested area.

"We want the property developed," Sullivan said. "Ideally, it would be developed with an all-residential development."