Plan to build three homes in Wilmette sparks concerns for lot’s trees

A proposal to subdivide a large lot near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Locust Road is moving forward — but some village officials believe the plan is a prime example of putting the cart before the horse.

Wilmette’s Plan Commission during its Tuesday, May 5 meeting faced a request that board members described as a “limited-scope matter” given key details about the project’s ultimate prospects are still withstanding.

The specific plan in front of the commission calls for the current one-parcel property at 2645 Lake Ave. to be subdivided into three new lots.

If ultimately approved, the project’s applicant, listed in village documents at 2645 Lake LLC, hopes to then build three new single-family homes across the lots.

A single-family home with an attached garage currently sits on the existing parcel, which per village records, totals just over 26,000 square feet at the southeast corner of Lake Avenue and Locust Road. Homes to the south and east abut the subject property, while the Church of Latter-Day Saints sits to the west, across Locust Road.

The proposal would break the new lots into parcels with respective square footages of 8,760, 8,880 and 9,000. Each lot, per project documents, would be at least 60 feet wide and at least 120 feet deep.

The lots meet Wilmette’s current zoning standards for parcels in the project’s zoning district — the R1-A Single-Family Detached Residence District, which requires lots to be a minimum of 8,400 square feet and feature a minimum requirement of 60 feet wide, according to documents included in the Plan Commission’s agenda packet.

While the proposal is in conformance and would not require variations, Wilmette village code does require review from the Plan Commission and subsequently the Village Board before the approval of a plat of subdivision is final.

Local tree protections

Although some of the project’s specifics are clear-cut at this point, plans to this point have yet to address tree preservation and protection — and the findings from a tree survey and study on the site could lead to notable changes in the proposal if needed.

In early 2022, Wilmette trustees amended the village’s tree preservation ordinance to further discourage the removal of healthy trees.

The revisions require the replacement of trees to maintain the village’s canopy when healthy trees are removed, or a payment in lieu of planting, and state that enhanced protection measures to mitigate damage to trees must be taken during construction projects.

Earlier this year, trustees brought forward further amendments to the existing ordinance that increased the fee that must be paid in lieu of new plantings when heritage trees are removed.

More to come

Yet, the version of the case that appeared before commissioners Tuesday night did not yet have tree preservation details finalized, leaving the board with a role and jurisdiction that Acting Chair Mariah DiGrino described as “very prescriptive.”

“I do share the concern that the tree survey is going to reveal conditions that can’t be overcome and can’t accommodate this lot configuration,” DiGrino said. “That said, my viewpoint here tonight is that we’re asked to approve a subdivision that conforms to the requirements of the subdivision code. I feel compelled to approve that subdivision.”

DiGrino did also note the “protections in (the village’s) code” to address the concerns commissioners brought forward but couldn’t ultimately act on.

But the board’s unanimous approval of the case, in its current standing, was a “very objective, mathematical formula.”

“The matter before us tonight is a very limited-scope matter: Does the proposed lot configuration conform to the requirements of the subdivision ordinance, mainly does it create lots that are of the required minimum size and dimensions required under the code,” DiGrino said, adding that she shared the concerns of her peers related to the tree preservation process not yet playing out.

“It does feel premature for us to be determining the three-lot subdivision that we’re looking at tonight because it could very well become irrelevant,” she added.

One Wilmette resident, Lynn Hornig, who lives a block away from the site, addressed the commission and encouraged officials to take to heart the impact the proposal might have on the nearby tree canopy.

“Having just celebrated Earth Day and Arbor Day, it seems contrary to that ethos to cut down these trees to build houses and only increase Wilmette’s housing stock by two,” she said.

“Wilmette is rightly proud of its Tree City USA designation. I don’t see how clearing this lot fits that philosophy. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

The case is now slated to move forward to Wilmette’s Village Board for review during its May 26 meeting, said Emily Egan, Wilmette’s community development director.

As of publication time, it’s unclear when tree preservation matters will be completed, but representatives for the project’s applicant described the project’s timeline as “immediate.”

Public property records show the site sold for $1.03 million earlier this year.

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