Winnetka’s beach plans officially meet Village scrutiny

Years after local officials first envisioned extensive renovations of one of the village’s famed beaches, the Winnetka Park District’s plans for Centennial Beach finally made their first official appearance in front of Village officials.

Winnetka’s Zoning Board of Appeals during its Monday, Oct. 14 meeting reviewed the park district’s application for a series of updates at Centennial that will require the approval of a special-use permit, several variations and a series of steep slope exceptions.

Although the meeting lasted nearly four hours, the park district’s path to village approval gained little traction Monday evening as zoning commissioners opted to continue their review of the district’s proposal to their next meeting on Monday, Nov. 11.  

Park Board President Christina Codo prefaced a near-hour-long presentation by noting the district’s goals. 

“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the proposed plans for repairs, protections and ADA elements for Centennial Park and Beach, a cherished community asset,” Codo told zoning commissioners Monday night. 

“Our goal is to ensure that this project aligns not only with the mission statement of the Winnetka Park District and the Village of Winnetka 2040 plan and the new village zoning regulations, but also incorporates the changes recommended by Winnetka residents over the past two years while preserving the natural beauty of the lake environment,” Codo added. 

The plans presented by the district on Monday evening are the second official attempt the district has put forward over the last several years. 

As previously reported by The Record, Winnetka park officials first brought improvement plans to the table in April of 2022 but just months later voted to withdraw its proposal. 

What’s in a plan

The park district’s current plan, according to Codo, was amended to “prioritize improved and expanded views and reduce the impact of large breakwaters as requested by Winnetka residents.” 

A short presentation from David Schoon, Winnetka’s community development director, and Assistant Director Ann Klaassen detailed the specifics of the park’s potential project. 

The park’s proposal features an extensive list of updates throughout the site. 

Project elements include, but are not limited to: the addition of an elevated pier that is nearly 200 feet in length, the creation of an elevated boardwalk, the reintroduction of a swimming beach, an off-leash dog beach with fencing and double entry gate system and stairs, an ADA accessible beach ramp and concrete ADA accessible walkway retaining walls, a reconfigured paver walkway, and more. 

Additionally, the park’s project includes plans for bluff clearing and restoration and steel sheet pile replacement. 

Officials have long touted the renovated swimming beach, viewing pier, breakwaters, boardwalk, landscaping, shoreline protection measures and off-leash dog park as the core elements of the proposal. 

Commissioners only offered limited comments on their initial thoughts of the proposal during the meeting — in part due to a lengthy public comment portion of the meeting that extended past 10 p.m. — but officials did find two points during the session to provide feedback. 

Near the conclusion of the meeting, Zoning Board Chair Matthew Bradley prompted commissioners to share their initial questions with park officials so the district can return next month prepared to answer the board’s first round of concerns. 

Commissioner Lynn Hanley told park officials she hopes to hear more justifications as to why the pier included in the project is designed the way it is, adding that she hopes the district can clarify if that’s a want or a need.

“I need more understanding of how it helps with beach erosion,” Hanley said. 

Hanley, as well as several other commissioners, also expressed concerns about some of the safety risks associated with elements of the project. Board members prioritized asking the park to provide additional details on how the plan diminishes safety risks. 

Board member Todd Vender, who noted the length of the pier was striking to him, asked for further explanation on the inclusion of significant fencing in the project. 

Commissioner Mark Haller focused on how the updates could lead to Centennial taking on a different character as well as some of the lakefront aspects. 

“I would like to hear more about coastal engineering reviews that have been done that support the features that go into the lake,” Haller said. 

Bradley also shared several areas he hopes to hear more about in November, including the ADA access ramp, the placement of the dog beach and the park’s plans for parking. 

Bradley did also make mention of what he described as “the curiosity that looms over Elder.” 

As previously reported by The Record, the Winnetka Park District opted to submit plans for Centennial and Elder beaches separately, meaning the renovations at the two beaches, which have continually been billed as one project, will need to each go through the village’s formal review process. 

Winnetka Park District Executive Director Shannon Nazzal told commissioners that the park’s plans for Elder have already been submitted to the village for initial review, but that they are not yet ready to be presented in front of Winnetka advisory boards for formal evaluation. 

Plans to refurbish both Centennial and Elder beaches have been in the works for years, and, as first reported by The Record, at one point included a property exchange agreement between the Ishbia family, who own property in between the beaches and to the south of Centennial, and the Winnetka Park District.

Since its introduction in 2020, the property exchange agreement caught the ire of both members of the public and town officials.

In the time since the park’s withdrawal of its 2022 plans for the beaches, the property exchange has been classified as “dormant” by both the Ishbia family and park district, The Record reported. 

Notably, the plans for Centennial mark the first time the Village’s new lakefront construction regulations, which were passed earlier this year, have been applied.

Public comment 

Twenty-five locals addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting, which lasted nearly 90 minutes. 

The majority of commenters who spoke at the meeting asked the board to either vote to table its consideration of the proposal or to offer a negative recommendation. 

Many of the residents who spoke at the meeting detailed safety concerns about some of the elements included in the park’s proposal. 

Winnetka resident and former Park Board Commissioner Mary Garrison told the board she believes the “proposed ADA ramp is full of serious safety risks.” 

“The ADA pathway, as proposed, is an attractive nuisance and without a doubt an accident waiting to happen,” Garrison said.  

Resident Linda Welch, who’s lived in Winnetka for close to 40 years, argued that there is “no need for a pier at Centennial.” 

“The park district’s proposed pier harms the general welfare and safety of the residents by covering the lake and beach with steel, stone and concrete, blocking the sightlines along the beach and seriously degrading the environment and creating, as many have said, a major safety hazard,” Welch said. 

Winnetka’s David Stevens told the board he “has several issues with the application,” noting that his main concern is that he believes it doesn’t take into account the input of the majority of the residents. 

Stevens added that he feels the plan being submitted is “piecemeal” given that it does not take into consideration Elder Beach. He lastly added that the plan is overbuilt and goes too far into the lake. 

A few residents also spoke in support of the park’s plans Monday night. 

David Seaman, a former Park Board commissioner who was one of the park officials in 2022 who supported withdrawing the district’s original plans, said the current plan is “a lot better.” 

“We need to invest in our lakefront and protect it,” said Seaman, who later added that the plan “increases and broadens access for the entire community, for everyone to enjoy, with or without a dog.” 

Earlier in the meeting, Codo said the park district had received 330 pages of public comments and questions on the proposal. 

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