Thursday, May 26, 2011
One couple on Sutton Drive say the village didn't do enough to protect the trees in the Happ property their backyard overlooks.
Laura Scholl came home from work one day, looked out her kitchen window and saw a totally different landscape from her backyard. Between the time she’d left that morning at 7:30 a.m. and the time she arrived home at 1:30 p.m., a developer had cut down 187 of the 231 trees in the property behind her home on Sutton Drive. What had been a wooded view since she and her family moved into the home 15 years ago became, in just a few hours, an empty, bulldozer-ed expanse. Scholl was shocked. She knew the plot of land at 3800 Dundee Road had been bought by a developer—a sign planted there advertised ranch-style homes coming soon to “Timber’s Edge”—but she wondered how trees could be taken down so quickly, and without any input from neighbors. “…
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Board recognizes outgoing member for exemplary service.
As new and re-elected members Northbrook trustees took their seats on the board for a new term Tuesday night, they thanked outgoing trustee Kati Spaniak for two years of “exemplary service.” Board President Frum appointed Spaniak in 2009 to fill a vacancy on the board, where she served as chair of the Quality of Life Committee and a member of the Communications and Legislation and Public Safety committees. Spaniak decided not to run for reelection last December when the Northbrook Caucus did not recommend her as a member of the ballot. In an official resolution, the trustees declared that Spaniak had brought a strong voice for residents and businesses. “With her background and knowledge in marketing and public relations, she helped the …
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Northbrook's board of trustees passed the fiscal year 2011/12 budget Tuesday night.
In approving the fiscal year 2011/12 budget Tuesday, Northbrook trustees praised the village’s financial health but warned that the state’s budget crisis might eventually touch Northbrook as well. “We’re sitting here in Illinois, and Illinois has not solved its problems,” said Trustee James Karagianis. “Eventually those problems will come home to roost.” For the time being, however, Karagianis and other trustees said Northbrook was in good financial shape, due in part to cost-cutting last year, when departments were consolidated and some staffing cuts were made, as well as to prudent planning over the long term. Trustees described this year’s budget as very lean. General fund expenditures, which cover the majority of city services, were …
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Village board unanimously approves plans, but raises concerns over loss of trees, parking safety.
Come fall, Northbrook residents may be able to pick up a cup of Caribou Coffee on their way to the Metra station, or sit outside enjoying a pastry with a view of the Village Green. On Tuesday, trustees approved a design permit and license agreement for a proposed Caribou Coffee and Sherwin Williams in the former Northbrook Garage property at Meadow and Shermer roads. “I think this will be a big bonus for downtown,” said Trustee Todd Heller. Northbrook’s village board last considered and approved a design permit for the property in March 2010, when a Panera Bread was planned as anchor tenant. But when Panera pulled out, owner Jonathan Berger of The Equitable Funds LLC had to go back to the drawing board in search of a replacement tenant. …
42.12849
-87.82736
Meadow Rd & Shermer Rd, Northbrook, IL
/articles/caribou-coffee-is-coming-to-downtown-northbrook
/locations/5316316
Monday, December 27, 2010
Only the races for spots on the board of two local school districts will be contested.
When voters go to the polls this April, they may experience déjà vu. Only a handful of new candidates are running for local office, and in most cases, races are uncontested for such offices as village trustee, park district commissioner and school board member. On the village board, three seats are up for grabs, including the spots of longtime trustees James Karagianis and A.C. Buehler III, both of whom will run for re-election this year. Since trustee Kati Spaniak has decided not to run again, her seat is open, but only one candidate filed by the Dec. 20 deadline: civil engineer Robert Israel, who is also a member of Northbrook's stormwater management commission. The Northbrook Caucus, a volunteer group of citizens who meet to review and …
Friday, November 19, 2010
Spring ballot prospects get encouragement but race paperwork clock for Dec. 13-20 filing period.
Every week, somebody picks up your garbage, somebody teaches your children and somebody decides whether to repair your street or fix the nearby flood zone. Those "somebodies" are usually government workers. They, in turn, report to elected officials who decide who gets hired or fired, choose how taxpayers' money is spent and make rules that affect people's lives. These officials might be responsive to citizens and spend money wisely, or they might be corrupt or inept. Think you could do a better job? Starting Dec. 13, citizens will have a week to file their candidacy for the dozens of elected offices up for grabs in the April 5 elections. The positions include village boards, school boards, park boards, township offices, library boards and…
Friday, October 15, 2010
Flooding and development encroaching on neighborhoods were the biggest issues villagers brought up at a meeting Tuesday.
Adele Sturgis was ready with her big, black umbrella at Tuesday night's village board meeting. She approached the trustees with a sheaf of documents rolled under one arm, laid the papers carefully out beside the podium, then slid out the umbrella and expanded it with a thwap. "Guess what I want to talk about?" she said. "Only the superstitious people of this world would believe that this would bring bad luck upon all of us as a result of my opening an umbrella indoors. Similarly, only very naïve people would believe that we are ever going to get on top of stormwater management problems in this community unless we plan someplace to temporarily store water." As the village heads toward finalizing its first new comprehensive plan since 1982, …
42.130563
-87.83154
Northbrook Village Hall
1225 Cedar Ln, Northbrook, IL
/articles/residents-sound-off-on-northbrooks-first-comprehensive-plan-since-1982
288325
/locations/2283838
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Village Board approved a development project for the corner of Dundee and Sanders Roads Oct. 12. A new Chase Bank is expected to be built with an easement into the Sanders Prairie Townhome Association.
A proposed Chase Bank development at Sanders and Dundee roads has divided residents of the adjacent Sanders Prairie subdivision—who voted to vacate their board over the matter—as well as the Village Board, which voted 5-2 to approve the development Tuesday night. President Sandra Frum and Trustee Kati Spaniak voted against part of the plan, which allows developer Kenton Dundee/Sanders LLC to construct a bank drive-through that would let exiting motorists cut through the Sanders Prairie subdivision on Bordeaux St. That cut-through, however, is conditional upon the continued approval of an easement granted by the Sanders Prairie Townhome Association—and the composition of the board governing that association is currently under dispute. "The …
42.13846
-87.88119
Sanders Rd & Dundee Rd, Northbrook, IL
/articles/despite-protests-from-residents-village-board-approves-bank-drive-through
/locations/2201550
Ed60062
8:32 am on Friday, May 27, 2011
It seems a brainless act to cut the trees before even having a development plan approved. Perhaps some of the trees could have been saved and even added to the value of the development. Yes, the municipal process has failed--even with the tightly controlled tree protection plan already on the books. What happens if this developer can't get a plan approved? Or goes bust? We'll have another … more ›