Concerns over proposed pier leads Winnetka Zoning Board to again table beachfront plan

Winnetka park officials will return to the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals next month for their third attempt at advancing improvement plans for Centennial Beach after a split group of commissioners could not fully sign off on the district’s vision for its signature lakefront property.

Zoning commissioners during their Monday, Nov. 11 meeting voted to recommend approval of two of the park’s three requests associated with the project, but the board also signaled it could not offer its support for the park’s special-use request. 

At the conclusion of a nearly four-and-a-half hour session, the board voted 5-2 in favor of the proposed zoning variation and series of steep slope exceptions.

Commissioners Todd Vender, Lynn Hanley, Mike Nielsen and Kate Casale MacNally joined board chair Matthew Bradley in support, while members Kathryn Leister and Mark Haller were the dissenters. 

Winnetka officials reached a clear consensus of opposition toward the park’s special-use request, primarily based on safety concerns with the district’s plans. 

Prior to voting on the other two elements of the project, the board unanimously approved a motion to continue the public hearing related to the park’s special-use request until Monday, Dec. 9.

The approved motion followed a plea from the park district to respond to concerns brought forward by commissioners during the Nov. 11 meeting. 

‘Love the plan, hate the pier’

Zoning commissioners’ rebuke of the special-use petition largely related to a sizable proposed pier structure in the park district’s proposal. 

As previously detailed by The Record, the park district’s proposed updates to the beach include: 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. 

According to project details submitted by the park district, the proposed pier will “substantially delineate the swimming beach from the dog beach to the north and south respectively.” Additionally, park officials have stated the pier is intended to provide added shore protection and aid in sand retention for the beach. 

The proposed pier, which extends just over 192 feet from the boardwalk into the lake, is meant to also provide “additional recreational use of the lake,” according to officials. 

While several commissioners did also express concerns about other aspects of the proposal, the pier drew the most ire.

Bradley, along with other members of the board, shared hesitations about the “attractive nuisance of the pier,” stating a belief that the current design could be hazardous for children and young adults who may target it as a place to jump off into Lake Michigan. 

“From my vantage point, (regarding) the special-use permit … we do have concerns that certainly rise above some of the aspect of this design, which trend more toward nicety versus necessity,” he said, “and I have real concerns about blindly moving forward on design elements that may implicate the health and safety of our residents, and our most precious in that, our children.” 

During his closing remarks, Haller expanded on his concerns regarding safety. 

“I do have a pretty significant concern about safety — safety on the pier, safety of swimmers up against the pier and the safety of people on the pier and the attractive nature of that particular artifact of this plan,” he said. 

Haller later added concerns about the lack of a bathroom facility at Centennial as well as limited parking, reservations several other board members also noted. 

Commissioner Nielsen offered a succinct summation of his viewpoint. 

“I would say I really love the plan, hate the pier, would be the way I would put it,” he said. 

Park officials hope third time’s the charm

Monday’s meeting was the zoning board’s second session devoted to reviewing the park district’s proposal, and commissioners will review the plans at least once more before they can progress to other Winnetka boards for further deliberation. 

As previously reported by The Record, the park district’s path to village approval gained little traction during the project’s first public hearing held on Oct. 14. 

Commissioners only offered limited comments on their initial thoughts of the proposal during the Oct. 14 meeting — in part due to a lengthy public comment portion of the meeting that extended past 10 p.m. 

But the board did share their initial questions with park officials so the district could return prepared to answer the board’s concerns. 

Park Board President Christina Codo said that on Oct. 30 the district submitted 10 pages of responses to the questions raised by commissioners during the Oct. 14 meeting.  

“The park district knows the natural tension that can arise when public spaces are located within residential areas,” she told the board. “Ninety percent of our parks are within a 10 minute walk of homes. We understand that a public park, intended as a community gathering space for recreation, may at times differ in character and scale from the surrounding single-family homes. 

“The park district has taken thoughtful steps to design Centennial Park and Beach to minimize the conflicts with the surrounding community while addressing very specific needs for public spaces — needs related to accessibility, safety, long-term operations and maintenance while preserving the beauty of the park.”

The plans presented by the district in mid-October 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. 

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.

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, The Record reported. 

While the park district will still have hurdles to clear to earn a final positive recommendation from the zoning board, commissioners appear to find value in the project as a whole. 

“I don’t think I hear anyone up here saying to leave this beach alone (or) that this project, in any way, shape or form, is just poorly designed and should not be done. … I think we’re all in agreement that it needs to be improved,” Bradley said just prior to discussing the board’s vote near the conclusion of the meeting. 

Public comment 

Twenty-seven locals addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. While the majority of commenters either highlighted concerns about the project or asked the board to table a decision, several residents showed support for the district’s plans. 

Like the commissioners, many of the residents who spoke in opposition stated disapproval of the pier. 

Winnetka native Kate Whitchurch argued the pier is “dangerous” while urging the board to consider the risks it could pose. 

“Please, leave this beautiful pristine beach,” she said. “Please let us enjoy this gorgeous land that we have and please do not put a dangerous variety of piers out for problems to occur and for tragedies to happen.”

Other residents who spoke called the pier “egregious,” “excessive and unpleasant” and “a marble facade with nothing behind it.”

Many of the residents who spoke in support of the project advocated for approval largely for the added accessibility to the beach it will provide. 

Resident Bradley Serot, who told the board he lives blocks away from the beach and is the parent of a daughter with cerebral palsy, said the plan would create a more welcoming and equitable space for all families. 

“We have an opportunity here to make Centennial a true example of an inclusive community — a place that is mindful of all abilities, where everyone, regardless of physical limitations, can enjoy our beautiful lakefront,” he said. 

Craig Culp, executive director of the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association, noted that it is challenged to enhance accessibility into natural resources like beaches but said that it’s an “investment in the future and an investment for all that benefits every single resident that we serve.”

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