Redevelopment plan for Lincoln School property gets plan commission’s support

Redevelopment plans for a historic Highland Park site are now set to advance forward with a positive recommendation from a key city advisory board.

Highland Park’s Plan and Design Commission during its Tuesday, May 6 meeting unanimously voted to support a proposal to build nine single-family homes on the site that used to house Lincoln School, a plan first reported by The Record.

The commission’s stamp of approval did come with a series of conditions — recommended by city staff — related to access management restrictions at the potential new development. The pitch to reimagine the property at 711 West Lincoln Ave. will now move to Highland Park’s City Council for final consideration.

Project plans call for the reconfiguration of the 120,769-square-foot site from five lots to nine. Additionally, the applicant will require approval of several variations as well.

The site was first platted in 1901, city officials said.

The proposal that arrived in front of the commission Tuesday night was a scaled-down version of plans, according to the development team.

Brad Gold, manager of HP Lincoln, the development group behind the project, told the commission planners first envisioned 12 units on the site but opted to instead drop it down to nine.

“We were able to fit 12 lots on this site but we felt they were going to be too compact and not right for Highland Park,” Gold told the board. “After consulting many people who live in the area and talking to residents, we decided to reduce it to nine lots and build a nicer product on these sites.”

Braeden Lord, an attorney with the law firm representing the development team, said the reduction was rooted “in the spirit of providing a development that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.”

The HP Lincoln development team purchased the property from North Shore School District 112 for just under $2 million in 2023, The Record reported. Demolition of the school then subsequently occurred in 2024.

Per Gold, project developers “took many months to decide what to do with this site” and did not initially intend to demolish the previously existing structure.

“Just so everyone knows, we did not buy this site just to tear it down,” Gold said. “After acquiring the site and doing extensive work throughout it, we felt that it was not able to be saved.”

Representatives from the development group also said they’re estimating the potential new use of the site will result in a 65% reduction of impervious surface.

Lord, while addressing the commission, also argued the development would lessen the nearby traffic impact when compared to the previous use of a school.

“The traffic impact from transitioning the site from an elementary school with hundreds of frequent visitors, between faculty, staff, students and visitors, to nine single-family homes would be substantial in terms of reduced traffic impact,” he said.

Commissioners lauded the developers for doing their “due diligence” throughout the process and reducing their original proposal.

“I think this will work and I think this will probably work well,” commissioner Steven J. Kerch said, later adding that planners did a “fairly good job in putting this together.”

Commissioner David Fettner agreed that the proposed use would not negatively impact traffic when compared to the site previously being a school. He also called the project a “nice development.”

Project planners said they are hoping to begin work this summer and noted that the build-out of the development will likely take place in stages.

Lincoln School opened in 1909 and operated until the 2017-18 school year.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.