Winnetka takes on inconsistent lakeside street ends

The Winnetka Village Council is revisiting a discussion that first came up 25 years ago surrounding seven Winnetka streets that end at Lake Michigan.

Trustees learned more about the conditions of all seven “streets ends” during a joint special council meeting and study session on Tuesday, June 9, when Village staff sought guidance on what, if anything, should be done to improve the locations.

Village President Bob Dearborn said at the beginning of the meeting that staff were seeking direction on “the level of public access and intended use, capital improvements to support this intended use, signage and public information that might be appropriate and clarifying public and private boundaries.”

The seven street ends are on:
• Fisher Lane extension (Sheridan Road)
• Tower Road,
• Spruce Street,
• Elm Street,
• Oak Street,
• Cherry Street, and
• Willow Road.

Hannah Lipman, Winnetka’s deputy village manager, said the last time the Village officially studied street ends was back in 2000-’01, and given the passage of time and the public’s interest in protecting the lakefront, staff decided to revisit the topic.

“The street ends at Lake Michigan are platted right of ways that have existed for many years, and they all have varying levels of functionalities to serve as public access to Lake Michigan,” Lipman said, adding that all except the one at Oak Street have stormwater outlets that drain into the lake, while some provide road or driveway access points to private homes.

Lipman said some of the street ends provide public access to the beach; though Elm, Oak, Willow and the Tower Road right of way do not. Elm and Willow only give beach access to maintenance personnel.

Trustees went through each of the seven street ends, discussing each of them, inviting public comment, and providing direction for staff.

One of the most consistent suggestions was for better signage, especially when it surrounds public and private property.

Speaking of the Fisher Lane extension, Trustee Scott Myers suggested signage could designate which parts of it are private property and which are open to the public.

“One of the things that we can be maybe more consistent on is to indicate where people can walk,” he said, adding that he believes most beachgoers are considerate, but also that “clarity and consistency…would be helpful.”

Lipman said there are multiple ways the Village can help identify private property, including landscaping, a wooden post with ropes, and consistent signage across all street ends.

Village attorney Peter Friedman noted that if a “No Trespassing” sign is on private property, the Village cannot regulate it; although the Village’s community development department works with homeowners to determine the most appropriate location for signage.

Trustee Kirk Albinson agreed with having consistent signage.

“It would be great to have some standards for signage so that we don’t have a hodgepodge of signs just sort of attached to various points,” he said.

Lipman mentioned one street end that sees a mix of public and private access is Tower Road. She said when the land was platted, seven nearby properties were given their own private beach access, which she referred to as “finger lots.”

That area also neighbors the Village’s water and electric plant, and the beach itself is a mix of ownership between the Village and Winnetka Park District. The Tower Road right of way also once provided access to the plant’s coal chute, but Lipman said that was closed to the public following 9/11.

While trustees didn’t share a desire to further develop the area, Myers said he feels the Village should sort out the public and private property access in the area.

Friedman said it’s an issue that the Village has studied in the past and that a previous village attorney in the 1960s concluded that the private-vs-public access in that area “is entirely unclear.”

“If we want to do something in that area, then we should talk to those property owners and see if there can be an agreement,” he said, adding that without one, “inevitably there’s going to be a dispute.”

And while the discussion mostly centered on minor improvements, trustees expressed general support for a suggestion from Lipman to potentially build an overlook at Elm Street, which currently has no beach access.

“My first reaction is, ‘I like that idea,’ given all the street ends, this is right in the center of town,” Trustee Kim Handler said. “Having an overlook there would be a nice exclamation point.”

Dearborn agreed.

“I think this is one that we want staff to explore and give us some options on this,” he said.

At the end of the two-hour discussion on the street ends, Dearborn suggested that staff create a memo summarizing the discussion and where the council stands, which he said will be shared with the public.

“We’ve got some work to do, and … there are budget considerations, and so we’re going to do what we can do here,” he said. “But I think that the public access part of this is really, really very top of mind to this group.”

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