Plans to replace a Green Bay Road building are headed for Village Council

A prominent developer is planning to raze a portion of an existing building in the heart of Winnetka to make way for a fresh commercial development and two new tenants in the Hubbard Woods Business District. 

GW Properties is one step closer to receiving approval for its plans to demolish the two-story portion of 933 Green Bay Road after Winnetka’s Design Review Board unanimously approved a certificate of appropriateness for the project during its Thursday, Nov. 21 meeting. 

The project’s subject property is located on the east side of Green Bay Road between Gage Street and Tower Road and is adjacent to the existing Walgreens.

The site housed VJ Killian Plumbing Company until 2021, according to documents from the village. A Winnetka business since 1920, according to records from the historical society, the plumbing company now also has locations in Lake Forest and Glenview. 

Per village documents, the site is roughly 7,450 square feet and includes a two-story mixed-use building. VJ Killian Plumbing occupied the first floor while the second was used as a residential unit. The site also includes a one-story commercial building located behind the two-story structure.

Developers are proposing to demolish the two-story part of the site while still utilizing the existing one-story brick structure toward the rear of the property, per plan documents submitted to the village and detailed Thursday night. 

Project details say that the new site will be “designed functionally as a one-story building,” but that the building’s facade will be designed to appear as a two-story building. 

The commercial space in the new building directly adjacent to Green Bay Road will be approximately 4,000 square feet, according to village officials. Visual Comfort & Company, the well-known designer lighting store, will occupy the storefront, GW Properties Principal Mitch Goltz told commissioners.

In documents detailing the potential project, officials say the rear space on the property would go through “extensive” renovations and would be roughly 2,200 square feet. It will be accessible through a paver walkway from Green Bay Road, village documents say, along the south side of the building. 

Goltz told the board that a company called Winnetka Wellness will occupy the back space. No details about the business were available as of publication time. 

The project first appeared in front of the design review board in mid-October. Board members expressed positive sentiments toward the scale of the building but also highlighted concerns about the quality of the building materials and a “lack of architectural character,” said Ann Klaassen, Winnetka’s assistant director of community development. 

Commissioners opted to extend their review of the project to the Nov. 21 session. The key change in the project was the use of red brick to match the existing buildings on the block, Klaassen explained. 

Goltz said the development team “did take to heart the feedback from the last meeting,” resulting in a “pretty major transformation to the color of the materials.” 

The project did require approval from Winnetka’s Historic Preservation Commission because of the demolition permit. The commission voted 5-0 in early November to approve demolition without delay. 

Winnetka’s Zoning Board of Appeals also voted 5-0 on Nov. 18 to recommend approval of the project. The plans will next head to the Village Council for final approval.

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