Ridge Road building in plans for redevelopment

A building along Ridge Road that houses a local business is in for a big alteration.

A mixed-use redevelopment proposal for the property that’s home to Lapels Cleaners, 819 Ridge Road, will soon be headed to village commissions for review. Lapels transitioned from Wilmette Tailors and Cleaners in 2019 and is currently still operating.

Lisa Brosnan, Wilmette’s business development planner, announced Tuesday, April 28, that the existing two-lot parcel on Ridge was recently purchased by a development team that is planning to reinvent the site.

Current project plans include a development with commercial space on the first floor and six residential units above, per Brosnan.

The proposal is scheduled to be before Wilmette’s Plan Commission in June for initial review, according to Brosnan.

Public property records show that the site sold for $805,000 in March of this year.

The Ridge Road Corridor in Wilmette has in recent years become a prime target for developers.

A proposal to demolish the former NorShore Meats building at 421 Ridge Road came forward late last year, as previously reported by The Record.

According to village documents, that building that used to sit on that property has been demolished and the new ownership of the site is “progressing through the building permit process.”

Planners for this site are pitching a three-story, six-unit condo building with a six-car garage.

Additionally, last year village officials also publicly identified the property at 615 Ridge Road as a prime candidate for an “adaptive reuse,” The Record reported.

The nearly half-acre site used to be home to an assisted living facility, which at first was called Sunrise Assisted Living then became Wickshire.

That property sold for $875,000 at auction in December of 2023, according to public records.

Since that sale, however, progress on redevelopment has stalled as village officials again noted during the April 28 meeting that parking challenges, particularly the just six spaces available on the site, limit development potential.

Village officials have also over the course of several years stated their views of Ridge Road as a section of town with “growth potential.”

The 400 block of Ridge has also recently seen several new and prospective businesses roll into town. The Vibe Fitness, 410 Ridge, and June Children’s Shop at 416 Ridge, both opened this year.

Gratitude Bakery and Coffee Spot, per Brosnan, is expected to open at 418 Ridge soon.

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