'Team Glenview' votes to amend agreement with Prospect Heights over Allstate campus property
There was absolutely no drama in the resolution of the big-ticket item placed before the Glenview village board on Tuesday.
Trustees voted 6-0 to approve an amendment to a 25-year agreement with Prospect Heights. The amendment to the Milwaukee-Sanders Corridor Agreement updates border and revenue sharing agreements and prepares for the annexation of the former Allstate property to Glenview.
The revenue-sharing agreement gives Prospect Heights a portion of the property taxes and sales taxes that would otherwise be gained from the land. A formal annexation agreement will likely occur at the July 5 Glenview board meeting.
"This is another example of good government and, in this case, good intergovernmental agreements," Glenview trustee Chuck Gitles said.
"We don't get very often to highlight an opportunity to show when government is working right, but you get two different organizations representing two different constituencies to be able to work together and work this out on an expedited and timely basis, it's something that should be highlighted."
Just in April, Glenview claimed that Prospect Heights wanted to annex the campus, which Allstate announced in November 2021 it would sell to logistics real estate company Dermody. Glenview claimed Prospect Heights' annexation attempt would violate the 1997 Milwaukee-Sanders Corridor Agreement that was the basis of Tuesday's agenda item.
Discussions between the two municipalities smoothed that over, and on June 13 the Prospect Heights City Council unanimously approved the same things the Village of Glenview reviewed on Tuesday.
Allstate and Dermody have submitted annexation and development applications to annex about 290 acres to Glenview, with Dermody developing a logistics campus on 230 of those acres east and west of Sanders Road, south of Willow Road. The site plan for 11 buildings over 3.2 million square feet was set for review at a June 22 Glenview New Development Commission meeting.
The third amendment to the Corridor Agreement, following prior amendments in 2006 and 2012 regarding a redevelopment north of Willow Road, would disconnect 32 acres of property west of Sanders Road and annex it into Glenview.
Also, property previously designated to be annexed by Prospect Heights south of the 32 acres and north of Winkelman Road, identified in the amendment as "Territory A," also would be annexed by Glenview.
The revenue sharing agreement decrees that Glenview pay Prospect Heights $500,000 in 2023, $315,000 in 2024. Thereafter, Glenview will pay Prospect Heights 18 % of both the local sales taxes and property taxes calculated to be generated by the properties disconnected from Prospect Heights, $280,000 annually.
Prompted by Trustee Gina DeBoni's hopeful statement about an increase in funding for West Northfield School District 31, which includes Glenview's Winkelman School, Deputy Director of Community Development Jeff Rogers said the Allstate vacancy "did have a devastating affect" on the district.
The Dermody proposal also will have a huge affect.
"Based on a fiscal analysis it's anticipated that at full build out of the area, that School District 31 would see a net increase in property taxes of between $5 (million) and $8 million dollars a year," Village Manager Matt Formica said.
The amendment also honored Prospect Heights' request for a wholesale water purchase and sale agreement from Glenview "in accordance with terms to be negotiated between the communities," Rogers said.
One surprising element did emerge before the board's unanimous approval. Glenview resident and frequent meeting attendee Gerald Barry, often critical of board decisions, congratulated "Team Glenview" for their work.
"Team Glenview," Village President Mike Jenny echoed after the 6-0 vote.