Developer to demo 3 Northfield buildings to make way for 92-apartment building

Northfield is one step closer to a major new housing development.

REVA Development Partners on May 26 received two necessary Village Board approvals to build a 92-unit luxury apartment building on Central Avenue.

Trustees voted to adopt one ordinance that would consolidate four lots (400, 464, 466 and 480 Central Ave.) on the site, and another that would vacate part of the Hawthorne Lane right of way.

The developer can now finalize designs, demolish the three vacant office buildings at the site, prepare construction plans and obtain building permits from the Village.

Plans for the large, four-story development include a housing mix of seven one-bedroom units, 49 two-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom-plus-den units, and 12 three-bedroom units. The building will also feature an outdoor gathering area, an indoor club room, a fitness center, a screened roof terrace and 140 residential parking spots, including many in an underground lot.

Warren James, principal of REVA Development Partners, said that estimated prices for the proposed rental units would vary between $3,000-$6,500 a month.

James said Northfield is an “empty-nester marketplace,” and while the new development may house some families, it would most likely accommodate parents with college-aged or adult children.

“We’ve seen tremendous demand for residents, like myself, that spent their lives here, raised their families here (and have) deep roots in the community, but also might want to spend time in other places and not have to have the burden of maintaining a single-family home,” James said.

James also said that incoming Northfield families with children may rent a unit for an extended amount of time while rehabbing a nearby house.

Jon Talty — CEO of OKW Architects, the firm behind One Winnetka, as previously reported by The Record — is working on the Northfield project and said that as of last May 26, close to 600 people were on a waitlist for the 59 rental units in the Winnetka development.

“That’s 10 to 1 in terms of the marketplace, which is hyperlocal,” Talty said. “So I think that speaks to the success that this project has to look forward to in an equally great community.”

The project’s approval comes in the wake of a 2025 Northfield Village Board decision to rezone Central Avenue to boost development in the area.

The REVA development is the second residential building to near Village approval, following a 12-unit condo building in September 2025. The project’s size is a first for Northfield’s Central Avenue corridor, said Village Manager Patrick Brennan in an email to The Record. 

During the presentation, Northfield trustees asked questions regarding parking and energy sources.

James said that the building exceeds the necessary amount of standard parking spaces for a residential building. He also stated that the energy sources would be decided later, after more consideration.

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