The Wilmette Village Board approved Lumina, a 128-unit luxury condominium development at 721 Green Bay Road, by a 6-1 vote at the end of a marathon board meeting around 7 p.m.
Tuesday 11:25pm.
The new building will be built next door to Verdana, a 100-unit luxury condominium built by fellow developer Optima, a Glencoe-based company, that opened just over a year ago.
Village Mayor Senta Plunkett said when Verdana went before the board for approval in 2020, many residents feared it would be too large, disruptive and out of place on the social scale. He said he had expressed his concerns.
Wilmette characters. Village residents have submitted hundreds of letters about Lumina containing numerous complaints, but Plunkett said many of the people living closest to Verdana
Just like in 2020, I reached out.
“It’s very shocking to me that they’re not the ones we’re listening to,” Plunkett said. “After the Verdana building was completed, we heard from residents that the height did not seem that high to us.
they. “
Board member Gina Kennedy was the only vote against Lumina, citing a number of factors, including a lack of commercial space, lackluster public space amenities and the size of the building.
“To give you a sense of how big it is, it’s twice the size of the building that’s already there,” President Kennedy said of Verdana. “It’s bigger than the target and three times as tall.”
The Lumina project includes commercial space that Optima plans to lease to food service companies, including a restaurant open for lunch and dinner. Developers said Egg Harbor Café is scheduled to open in the Verdana commercial space in the first quarter of 2025, and once completed, there will be two anchor restaurants for the entire area.
At the meeting, public comments from residents took place for about an hour. The majority, including the six current residents of Optima Verdana, were in favor of the project.
Lou Weisbach said he visited Verdana once before deciding to move.
“Our experience was exceptional because not only is the facility special, but so is the service within the building,” Weisbach said. “And there’s something you can’t imitate.
It’s about the building and it’s about the culture. ”
Wilmette resident Amanda Nugent said she is thrilled with the positive experiences Verdana residents have had, but opposes the Lumina project.
“I think the positive aspects of this building will remain with the people who have the privilege of living in a building like that,” Nugent said. “I don’t think it fits our community at all.
It makes me really sad. ”
Optima first brought Lumina’s plans to the village in April and agreed to some changes suggested by village leaders, including adding terra cotta to the building’s surface.
We have improved the exterior, enhanced public spaces near the restaurant, and added new parking spaces nearby.
The developer also agreed to donate $3.8 million to the village’s Housing Commission, which will be used to help residents find affordable housing elsewhere in the village. It is planned that
Lumina will be built on the site of Imperial Motors, a car dealership that closed in 2017.
Trustee Kate Gaja, who voted in favor of the plan, said she read “150 Years of Wilmette,” a history of the village written by former mayor John Jacoby, as she considered her vote. Gyaja said she was shocked that almost every major development project, including the now-beloved Baha’i Temple, was treated by some residents as if it would ruin the village.
“Change is difficult, and what we think will destroy the fabric of our community ends up being part of the fabric of our community,” Jaja said.
