Rezoning efforts paused for Treasure Island site

Although the formal action that could pave the path to filling one of the area’s most stubborn vacancies faces a temporary moratorium, Wilmette officials remain adamant they’re pursuing “creative solutions” to solve the puzzle that sits near the corner of Ridge Road and Lake Avenue.

Town officials late last month stated the village has “made the deliberate decision to hold” rezoning efforts as part of its attempt to fill the long-vacant former Treasure Island site at 911 Ridge Road.

During a meeting of the Village Board, Lisa Brosnan, Wilmette’s business development planner, said that a holding pattern can be attributed to staff focusing on “active economic development efforts and the (village’s) ongoing housing plan work.”

As previously reported by The Record, Wilmette brass in late 2025 first detailed their intentions to solicit land-use planning firms that could assist in initiating a rezoning discussion for the former Treasure Island store.

That effort was in part driven by the “several barriers” officials stated they’ve continually faced when trying to facilitate an occupant at the Ridge Road site since Treasure Island closed in 2018.

Mike Braiman, Wilmette’s village manager, said during the late April meeting of the board the village is still holding “active and regular discussions” with the broker for the site.

Braiman also noted that the property’s ownership knows “they need to figure out a plan” as there are only three years remaining on the 10-year lease signed by Goodwill in early 2019.

Shortly after Goodwill agreed to lease the space, the property’s ownership informed the village it would not be moving forward with filling the space.

No agreement was ever made official, and Goodwill did not submit zoning applications to the village. Village officials have now long said it’s clear Goodwill will not be occupying the space at any point during its lease.

The crux of conversations right now, Braiman said, are figuring out “creative solutions” to possibly add parking to the site.

“We know the neighborhood would like a grocery store, we know there is a need for a grocery store on the west side of the community — but what we hear from every grocer is there’s not enough parking,” he told trustees.

“We’re going to continue to leave every stone unturned and continue to get as creative as we can and partner with whoever we can partner with and try to facilitate opportunities,” Braiman continued.

According to listing information previously posted, the building shares 46 parking spaces with adjacent smaller storefronts, and the intersection of Lake Avenue and Ridge Road averages close to 18,000 vehicles per day. The former Treasure Island building is approximately 14,000 square feet.

In previous public conversations, village officials have cited the lack of parking and need for significant space upgrades as two of the key challenges facing the site. While those conditions still exist, the village’s quest to bring in a new business will still continue.

“It’s a challenge, but we’re going to keep pushing down that path until we know we can’t do that,” Braiman said.

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