About That Roundabout: Details and viewpoints on Northfield’s non-binding roundabout referendum

Jump To: Support and Opposition | Referendum Basics | Ballot Language

A center-village roundabout is a long-sought amenity in the Village of Northfield, at least from village officials.

Mentions of the traffic feature on Happ Road go back to 2015, and plans for its development picked up steam in the fall of 2021.

As construction approached three years later, however, residents and local business owners began to organize in opposition to the Happ Road improvements, specifically the roundabout. And the Save Happ Road Committee was born.

Pam Papadatos, owner of Metamorphosis Spa in downtown Northfield, led the charge with a petition to gain enough signatures to qualify for a ballot measure. Papadatos and company hit their goal and the county approved the addition of a non-binding referendum for the general election ballot.

No action can be taken directly as a result of the referendum, because it is a non-binding, or advisory, question. Papadatos and others hope the results will encourage the Village to strike down or alter the plan.

Support and Opposition

Northfield officials have promoted the roundabout as a safety feature for motorists and pedestrians at an uneven intersection at Happ Road and Orchard Lane.

The entire Happ Road project also includes improvements from Willow Road to Winnetka Road, including resurfacing of the roadway, constructing a center turn lane, replacing shoulders and ditches, adding enhanced traffic and pedestrian signals, and installing streetscape and landscape features.

While Village Manager Patrick Brennan was not in his position when the roundabout was first approved, he told residents earlier this year that officials “had concerns over safety, pedestrian crossing, driver confusion as people are trying to merge into traffic. And they worked around a consensus to what was the best approach to that. And it’s my understanding it was a joint recommendation from that group that started us down this path of a roundabout.”

Phase 1 of the project (preliminary engineering and an environmental study) is complete, and the plans already received multiple approvals from county and village boards.

The five-arm roundabout would connect Happ Road, Walnut Street and Orchard Lane and, in the middle, feature a fountain, which officials have said, along with the renovated roadway, could help make the town’s center a more desirable destination.

As part of Phase II, local officials contacted residents and business owners who would be impacted by the project, whether through proximity, the loss of property through easements, the loss of nearby availability, or all of the above.

The public outreach helped lead to the formation of the Save Happ Road Committee and its mission to halt development of the roundabout.

The driver of the opposition is the permanent displacement of residential land on Happ Road and parking spaces off of Orchard Lane and Walnut Street, bordering to Metamorphosis Spa. Plans call for the removal of up to 20 spaces between the two streets, as well as the removal of several trees up and down Happ and along Orchard.

Papadatos said conversations with local officials about the project and the future of her business led her to pursue an advisory referendum, in an effort to show Village officials the opinions of community members.

“My whole goal is to be able to turn to the Village and say, ‘No, these people are not informed (about the roundabout),'” she said. “They didn’t know anything about this.”

Papadatos has worked with fellow business owners, like Lucy Callahan of Peachtree Place, as well as residents of Happ Road whose land will be reduced because of the proposed street widening.

Callahan said recently Northfield businesses have had to overcome three-plus years of construction along Willow Road and two-plus years of pandemic disruption. This project, she said, would be a continuation of those challenges.

She believes the referendum results will send a message to Village officials.

“We know it will show in a big way the will of the residents,” Callahan said. “I just really feel that the number of people who don’t want (the roundabout) is far more than the number of people who want it. And none of the businesses want to go through another downturn in business.”

To help spread the word about the project and the referendum, Save Happ Road Committee held a forum on Oct. 16 at New Trier High School’s Northfield campus.

The town hall, attended by approximately 60 people, included presentations from attorney Allen Perl and world-renowned architect Francisco Gonzalez Pulido, both of whom live in Northfield and offered their thoughts on how to halt the project and pursue alternatives.

Resident Steve Cummings, who was part of the Phase 1 project’s steering committee from November 2016 to February 2018, said even though a roundabout was recommended, the committee expressed concerns about the number of parking spaces that would be lost.

“I assumed Phase 2 would address parking issues with the affected businesses,” Cummings said. “But my involvement was over at the end of Phase 1 and apparently that was not the case.”

Trustees Barnaby Dinges and Charles Orth were in attendance.

Organizers also encouraged all in attendance to vote “no” on the referendum, even if they don’t typically vote in elections.

VILLAGE OF NORTHFIELD: ROUNDABOUT REFERENDUM

Referendum Purpose: Advisory (non-binding) question that will inform Village of Northfield decisions related to a proposed roundabout.
Project Highlights: Construction of a five-arm roundabout on Happ Road at the Orchard Lane intersection in downtown Northfield, construction of which will impact local roadways, trees and parking space. Project also includes beautification efforts, road widening and more.

THE BALLOT QUESTION

“Do you support the Village of Northfield’s proposal to develop a roundabout at the intersection of Happ Road, Orchard Lane and Walnut Street, which would result in the removal of approximately 20 public parking spots currently available on Orchard Lane and Walnut Street?”

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