With design No. 7, Optima development gains support of Wilmette Plan Commission

Prominent real-estate developer Optima, which has already made its mark in Wilmette with the 100-unit Verdana complex at 1210 Central Ave., reached a new milestone for its next proposed project in Wilmette on Tuesday night. 

After two and a half hours of tense public discussions, touching upon aesthetic and traffic concerns, Wilmette’s Plan Commission unanimously recommended Optima Lumina, a proposed 128-unit complex at 721-739 Green Bay Road, which will next be reviewed by the Village Board.

In May, appearance review commissioners expressed several concerns regarding the project’s scale and building materials, prompting the development team to make revisions, as The Record previously reported. Those concerns, though less intense, persisted with Optima’s second official pitch to village officials on July 1.

Optima’s proposal for the Lumina building is now in its seventh iteration, and it appears the seventh time (and third official pitch) is the charm. Tuesday night’s commission showed a more united front, satisfied with the work that Optima’s team had put into revising their pitch and development model. 

As he gave his presentation, David Hovey Jr., president of Optima, detailed the changes and shared updated renderings. 

To address concerns regarding building mass and character, Hovey said Lumina’s and Verdana’s buildings have been separated, making each its own “unique mass” with a “unique architectural character.” Lumina’s design would use a terracotta cladding meant to mimic the color of “Chicago brick,” which can be yellow, salmony or red in hue.

These proposed aesthetic changes come in response to some residents’ concerns that Optima’s modern architecture hinders Wilmette’s historic charm.

In a Tuesday night presentation in opposition of the Lumina building, members of Preserve Wilmette Character, a group of Wilmette residents working to safeguard the Village’s historic charm, reiterated their concerns about Lumina, stating that it is, “too massive, too tall, too long, too modern.”

Members also refuted Hovey’s claim that more than 200 letters of support had been written in favor of Lumina — or at least, they said, the letters were not predominantly from Wilmette residents.

Despite their unanimous approval, plan commissioners did encourage Hovey and his team to look into their choice of terracotta as the hue appeared too dark and inconsistent with “Chicago brick.”

Among the changes to the Lumina proposal, Hovey also unveiled a new layout for the planned public plaza that included an increase of 430 square feet for a total area of 6,690 square feet with further seating and usable space. 

To cope with increased traffic, Optima proposed widening an existing alleyway, creating an overflow loading lane. But several residents at Tuesday’s meeting expressed concerns that this change would not be enough, especially with a second Optima building leading to increased congestion and safety hazards.

Still unclear, too, is whether the building would consist of condominiums or rental units, with Hovey stating that Optima hopes to decide as soon as possible; though, condominiums are the frontrunner.

When concluding the commission’s unanimous vote, Commissioner William Bradford encouraged residents to note that master plans “have a shelf life” and to have some flexibility in their vision for central Wilmette, referring specifically to the 2011 Village Center Master Plan, which outlined a direction for the community’s development. 

While the commission was sympathetic to the desire to preserve Wilmette’s character, members such as Martin Wolf noted that perhaps now is not “the time and place” to emphasize historic architecture over Optima’s new development. Wolf encouraged residents to take the building proposal, and all that it can add to the village, seriously.

The commission’s unanimous decision and recommendation will be in front of Wilmette’s Village Board on Sept. 24.

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