2000 West Center Village Plan

"Styles should draw from the themes present in some of the older buildings currently in the Village Center, such as the Tudor style commercial buildings.."

Page 5 – Height – Through the PUD process, there is a potential for a building to have a fourth floor. Because of the desire to create a pedestrian environment, the village should not encourage the addition of a fourth floor without the consideration of the street scape. A concern exists of creating a “canyon” effect on Green Bay Road of tall buildings looming over a narrow sidewalk. One way to combat this is to have upper stories of 4 floor buildings to be stepped back, or to require other design modifications to reduce the perceived bulk. 

Page 6 – Character and Appearance

Re-developments and remodeling should maintain the Village Centers pedestrian scale and traditional look. Specific design guidelines should be created for the Plan Area to assist architects and developers in designing projects that are easily integrated into Wilmette’s existing appearance. The use of materials and styles similar to those elsewhere in the Village Center would assist in establishing a visual link across Green Bay Road. 

When the PUD process is utilized, the Village will have a unique opportunity to shape the appearance of the building to ensure that new construction will be sympathetic to the appearance of Wilmette’s traditional commercial buildings. 

Page 7 – Design Guidelines

The use of specific design guidelines can promote the desired appearance for commercial properties as they are constructed or remodeled. Many of Wilmette’s residents, business people, and officials have often stated that they would like to see a continuation of Wilmette’s “traditional” downtown look and feel “Traditional” is hard to define for many people, especially when the Village Center commercial buildings date from different periods and are constructed from different materials. Design guidelines could turn “traditional” into a specific set of standards to ensure consistency while still allowing developers and property owners to design their building to their satisfaction.

Style: Styles should draw from the themes present in some of the older buildings currently in the Village Center, such as the Tudor style commercial buildings located at the northeast corner of 12th and Central Ave, or the 1920’s yellow brick building at the southwest corner of Central and 11th.

Discussion and Minutes 

Chairman Schneider – If the village is presented with some type of variance for this property in the future, they would like some framework or guidelines under which they could evaluate the proposed, so they are not caught off guard like they were with, for example, Optima.  

Mr Banks – said Chairman Scheider mentioned that the Village was caught “flat-footed” in an endeavor and asked him if he could spell out what he was referring to.

Chairman Scheider said the Optima project on Central Avenue was what he was referring to, the appearance and use of materials on the exterior. Also, the relationship of the retail aspect and the relationship to the other properties. Possibly, had they had they had some framework or guidelines to evaluate the parcel of land, it could have been possibly guided in another direction.

Page 10 – Round Table Comments

Mr Ader says the Napeltons might sell to another car dealer, we just don’t know. We may be spinning our wheels but we may have someone interested enough who offers them enough money and then comes to the village with a development plan. By right, we need way to allow them to do something without having to go to our plan commission or zoning board and they might have the right to do that. What our hope is through this process, we might develop a conceptual plan for developers to follow.

Mr Adler said you still have the right to build what zoning allows you to. We can’t take that away from you. If you want to do something against the vision developed by the community, you have that right, just as Napelton Ford has the right to remove the dealership and put retail stores there or tear it down and leave it vacant. The village isn’t taking away those rights, what the Village is saying is that you might be able to get more. Maybe they would say you could build a little bit higher because you are following this developed plan, sort of a bonus to what is currently permitted. The Village is not trying to take anything away, the intention is try to formulate, if and when that happens, what is best for the community.