Another multi-home demo and lot consolidation may be coming to Winnetka lakefront

Winnetka planning commissioners are on board with a proposal to raze two lakefront homes and build a new single-family residence across a 50,000-plus square-foot lot.

A special meeting of Winnetka’s Plan Commission on Thursday, April 10, concluded with a unanimous board recommending approval of a request to consolidate two lots on Sheridan Road into a single parcel of record to accommodate the construction of a new home.

The plan calls for the demolition of the existing homes at 473 and 499 Sheridan Road to make way for a new 2 1/2-story home and boat house on the new consolidated lot, which would measure approximately 50,600 square feet, officials said.

The large consolidation may sound familiar to Winnetkans; however, its size falls well short of the sprawling project —which is four combined parcels turned into a 162,000-square-foot lot with a 68,000-square-foot home — that is currently under construction by the Ishbia family a few blocks south on Sheridan Road.

The two homes part of the new project are located on the east side of Sheridan on a private extension of the road between Cherry and Oak Streets, said Ann Klaassen, assistant director of community development for the Village of Winnetka.

Per Klaassen, the current lot at 473 Sheridan is roughly 19,000 square and is classified as a flag lot, meaning it is an irregularly shaped lot consisting of two sections. The lot at 499 Sheridan, also irregularly shaped, according to the village, is approximately 31,000 square feet.

The request to consolidate the lots also requires a special-use permit because the new parcel will be greater than two times the minimum required size and average lot width for a corner lot in its zoning district, according to village documents.

This request marked just the second time the commission has considered this such type of special use and the first for a single-family residence, Klaassen said during the meeting. The only other time the commission discussed a special-use for a large lot consolidation was a recent request from Grace Presbyterian Church.

In 2023, Winnetka officials adopted an ordinance limiting oversized lots. At the same time, the Village Council passed a series of other lakefront regulations, including restrictions related to development in the steep slope area along Lake Michigan. The request commissioners considered April 10 is subject to those steep-slope regulations.

In addition to the 2 1/2-story home and boat house, the proposed property will include a pool and a pergola, Klaassen said, noting that plans call for maintaining the existing deck and gazebo currently on the parcel at 499 Sheridan.

The existing home at 473 Sheridan, per village records, was built in 1960. The applicant, who was not identified either during the meeting or in village documents, acquired the property in January of 2023 for $5.2 million

Village documents show the applicant acquired the property at 499 Sheridan in October of 2024. That home was built in 1965 and later remodeled in 1984. The property, according to public records, sold for $5.3 million.

Winnetka’s Historic Preservation Commission considered demolition permits for both properties — 473 in May of 2024 and 499 in January of this year — and unanimously recommended both requests without delay.

William Murphy, the project’s architect, told the commission that planners hope to submit for building permits this spring and begin construction in the summer.

Commissioners reached a consensus that they favored the application and found the nature of the requests to be within reason.

Commissioner Liz Kunkle, while noting the “odd” nature of the lots, said she believes the applicant “doesn’t appear to be overdoing it.” She added that it was important the plans are also keeping consistent with the property and style of the previous homes.

“This is the type of situation that is appropriate,” Kunkle said, later adding that the unanimous support of the advisory board and the fact that no public comments against the proposal were submitted were factors in her consideration.

Board member Matthew Bradley said he was “generally supportive of the request,” adding that he didn’t “see anything on its face that (gave him) pause about recommending approval.”

According to Klaassen, Winnetka’s comprehensive plan designates the site as appropriate for single-family residential uses.

Winnetka’s Village Council will have final jurisdiction on the request when it reviews the proposal, which will now carry a positive recommendation from the plan commission.

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