Winnetka trustees agree to redo staircase to beach off Spruce Street

Access to Lake Michigan from Spruce Street in Winnetka is set to be improved after the Village Council approved a contract to replace a damaged staircase.

Trustees unanimously supported an agreement with Hey and Associates, of Volo, to create final designs for an improved walkway that would grant access to the beach from the street.

Reportedly, the existing walkway was damaged in 2020 following high water levels.

Tom Powers, Winnetka’s director of public works, told the council on Tuesday evening, Nov. 4, that the Village worked with Hey and Associates throughout the year on preliminary design concepts for beach access.

Powers said staff looked at the possibility of creating ADA-compliant access points to the beach, and three concepts were created. He said, however, that the two options that would have given ADA access to the beach proved either prohibitively expensive or in violation of the village’s steep slope ordinance.

The solution recommended by staff, and supported by trustees, was to replace the staircase while also adding modifications for accessibility.

“The last option, which seemed to make the most sense, was just to replace the stairs as they were, adding a walkway to improve the ADA accessibility,” Powers said. “So, someone in a wheelchair could still get to the top of the slope and enjoy the views, but they wouldn’t have full access.”

Hey and Associates estimates the project will cost $576,600, a price that Powers said is similar to related recent projects they’ve done; however, he said the full cost won’t be known until the project goes out to bid.

Trustee Rob Apatoff said this project is necessary but wished the proposed price tag wasn’t so expensive.

“We obviously have a long list of things to do … and so I’m glad we’re getting to this,” he said. “The cost is a little more than I thought it was going to be. I’m a little surprised, but I do think that this is progress in the right direction.”

Other trustees said they would like to see improved ADA access but understood the limitations.

“There’s always ways you can improve a project,” Trustee Scott Myers said. “But we’ve got a budget, we’ve got to make tradeoffs. … I think replacing the stairs is probably the right approach.”

Warren James, a former Winnetka Park Board commissioner, said during public comment that he was in favor of the improvements, and asked the Village Council to consider improving beach access at the other village-owned properties.

He claimed that some of the access points, such as Elm Street, Oak Street and Willow Road, are treated inconsistently.

“Winnetka should uniformly address street end access to Lake Michigan (and) uniformly enforce lakefront ordinances,” he said, while also asking the Village Council and park district to work together on solutions, suggesting a joint study session between the two entities.

With the Village Council’s approval, Powers said the Village will begin the permitting process, as in order to be done, the walkway improvements need permits from the Village, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It’s estimated that the stairs will be replaced in 2027.

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