History of Peterson & Kostner

During Summer 2002, the owners leased the land to a car dealership to park their excess inventory. Thanks to us, we were able to realize this was against zoning restrictions and notified the Alderman. The Alderman promptly ensured that the owner no longer used the property for this purpose.

The land still has not been sold and is on the market by the owners of the Garden Center for $1,950,000. North Shore Community Bank is considering purchasing the property and has announced plans to open a facility at this intersection.

The bank proposal appears much closer to becoming a reality. "We are excited about the Sauganash area," said North Shore Community Bank president Robert Meeder, adding, "We feel like the products and services we've been successful in providing will do very well in that area."

The company, which was founded in 1994, currently operates seven banks in Wilmette, Glencoe, Winnetka and Skokie. It recently opened a new two-story facility at 7800 N. Lincoln Ave. in Skokie. Meeder said that the planned Sauganash bank would be similar in design to the Skokie facility but not as big.

Laurino said that she has visited the Skokie facility and that "aesthetically, it's a very nice looking building." She said the Kostner-Peterson corner, formerly the site of the Glenlake Garden Center, has been vacant for about 2 years. "I think this is really an appropriate use for this particular site," Laurino said. "It is, generally speaking, a low use. I don't expect it to have a lot of traffic going there on a continual basis. The corner is a nice location."

Laurino said that the bank may require a special use for a planned drive-though facility. She said that the current B2-1 zoning of the property most likely will not have to be changed.

Laurino said that she will share plans for the bank with the Sauganash Community Association at a meeting within the next 6 weeks.

The city approved the North Shore Community Bank's permits. Demolition of the old Glenlake Garden Center facilities were originally scheduled to start July 8 or July 9. The bank plans to have drive thru as well as twenty parking spaces. All residents within 200 square feet of the location have received a letter regarding this and there has been no recorded opposition voiced thus far. It is our understanding that the bank has requested a special use permit and that a hearing is supposed to be this August.

It has been determined that the Peterson property variance request will not come before the zoning Board before mid-September at the earliest.

(As reported by Brian Nadig in the August 17, 2003 edition of the "Reporter" and Nyra Gay in the August 30, 2003 edition of "The Sounds")

On Tuesday, August 12, at 7:30 PM, the Sauganash Community Association held an open meeting at the Sauganash Park Field house to discuss the development at the southeast intersection of Peterson and Kostner. The meeting was vocal and well attended. Hamilton Kerr of North Shore Bank, along with his architect, presented a picture of a neighborhood friendly Bank. The drawings were architecturally pleasing and appropriate for the neighborhood.

As far as zoning is concerned, the present B-2 zoning would allow the Bank facility. However, the three drive-thru tellers would require up-zoning the property. Apparently the property owner has already applied for this up zoning. The drive-thru would enter from Kostner and any one exiting west would also use Kostner Avenue. There was a great deal of objection from the audience regarding the drive thru aspect and the traffic on a residential street. One resident posed that, at busy times, the traffic backup created by a left turn from Peterson (no left turn lane) could create a one-lane traffic jam.

Because of the strong opposition voiced during the open meeting towards the proposed drive-through (mentioned in the May 15 update above), a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on the proposed drive-through bank has been delayed a month.

"We don't want your bank on this corner," resident and community association member John Pikarski, an attorney specializing in zoning matters, told representatives of North Shore Community Bank. Many of the approximately 150 people who attended the meeting applauded the remarks of Pikarski, who recommended that the site be down-zoned for residential use.

Several residents complained that the three-story, 16,641-square-foot facility with three drive-through lanes would be too large for the property and suggested that bank customers would wind up parking on side streets in the area. Some residents said that the northwest corner of Peterson and Cicero avenues, the site of several vacant commercial properties, would be a better location for a bank.

"I don't think there is a need to make a decision tonight," Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) told the residents. "I am going to work with the community ... to come to a consensus on this issue." She has agreed to delay the question to the Zoning Board until October or November so that the neighborhood organization can get a good feel of neighborhood opinion.

In the meantime, our Real Estate Committee, would like to hear from you. He has requested that Sauganash residents respond to the association and let their wishes and opinions be known. We plan on sending letters to residents asking them to bring concerns about the proposal to one of the association's officers or board members, using our email address or by calling the hotline at 773-777-3393 and leaving a short message, pro or con. There were no objections to the plans that were raised at our board meeting where the matter was discussed.

Laurino said that the bank's request for a special use permit to allow construction of the drive-through lanes will be delayed from the Sept. 19 meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals to its Oct. 17 meeting to allow for further community input on the proposal.

The site's zoning was changed June 4 from B2-1 to B4-2 to allow North Shore to apply for the special use permit. Drive-through facilities are not permitted under the B2 zoning.

"We changed it to a B4 to allow the bank to have the opportunity to discuss the drive-through issue with the community," Laurino said. "The only issue you have today is the drive-through."

Laurino had the site down-zoned from B4-1 to B2-1 8 years ago following community opposition to a proposal to build a Walgreens store with a drive-through facility on the site.

Other residents, who remembered the Walgreens proposal for this same property, some years ago, thought the drive-in problem had been solved then by the rejection of Walgreens with a drive through pharmacy. We understand that the property was down zoned at that time to eliminate the problem. Now they find the same problem facing the neighborhood again. One of our Board members, Mike Kelly, said that he was surprised that the zoning change was allowed considering the opposition to the drug store proposal. "I thought the whole thing was settled with Walgreens — no drive-through," he said.

Another objection was that the corner was too much an integral part of the residential neighborhood to have the traffic that would be created.

Some residents asked why the community association did not hold a meeting on the issue prior to the zoning change. We did not hear of the bank's proposal until after the zoning change was made (as demonstrated by the updates above).

The City Council approved the zoning change less than a month from the time that registered letters were mailed to the owners of properties located within 250 feet of the site notifying them of the proposed zoning change.

Edgebrook Sauganash Chamber of Commerce executive director Barbara Copeland said after the meeting that the bank would be an improvement to the site, formerly was occupied by a service station and more recently by the Glenlake Garden Centre. "The architecture of the building will blend into the community," she said. "It would be better that the eyesore that has been there for many years."

John Myefski, the building's architect, said that bank's exterior would feature brick with some limestone accents, dormers, a chimney and a slate-covered, gable-style roof. He said that the design elements are meant to reflect the architectural character of the nearby homes. For details, see this picture.

Myefski said that the bank's parking lot would feature extensive landscaping that would exceed the requirements of the city's landscape ordinance. He said that a solid fence along the site's eastern perimeter would be replaced with an open-style fence, allowing for better visibility of an adjacent pedestrian path which leads from Peterson Avenue to Sauganash Park.

While the building would have three floors plus a full basement, most of the employees would work on the first and second floors, Myefski said. The third floor is designed as an attic which would be used as storage, and the only employee assigned to the basement would be a vault attendant, he said.

The bank also would feature several conference rooms, which would be made available for community meetings, Myefski said.

Bank officials estimated that the facility would need about eight employees to operate, with additional workers being added depending on the location's success. Some residents said that the proposed 20-space parking lot at the site would be insufficient to accommodate both employees and customers, leading to cars being parked on nearby side streets. North Shore chairman Ham Kerr said that the bank would leasing parking at an off-site location for its employees and that I workers may be able to use public transportation. He said that most spaces would have a quick turnover, as the typical customer would be inside the bank for only a short time.

Some residents expressed concern about vehicles turning left from the bank's parking lot onto southbound Kostner Avenue and then cutting through side streets. Myefski responded that the bank would be willing to have left-turn access restricted from the exit.

"We want to be a good neighbor," Kerr said, adding that a high percentage of their customers typically live in the community where the bank is located.

We sent out a letter to association members asking them for their input on the proposal to build a three-story bank with a drive-through facility at the southeast corner of Peterson and Kostner avenues. Please provide your input to us no later than Sunday, September 22 by using the email link below or contacting us via one of these contact methods. We have requested the North Shore Community Bank to provide it with a traffic study on how the bank's operation would affect the intersection.

We plan to discuss the bank's proposal at our Tuesday, September 23 meeting. We will decide at that time if we will vote to take a stance on the proposed bank project.

A meeting of the Sauganash Community Association Board of Directors held on Tuesday, September 23. At that meeting, members of the Board voted 17-5 in favor of advising the Alderman's office to allow (through zoning) North Shore Community Bank (owned by Wintrust Financial Corporation) to build a bank with a drive-thru at the southeast corner of Peterson & Kostner.

The deliberations before the vote took 2 1/2 hours. Each issue that was brought up by the community through emails and through the hotline were discussed at length. The representatives from the bank, who gave a tremendous presentation at the meeting, addressed everyone's questions thoroughly.

The next step is for the Alderman to give a recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals, slated to meet at 9 a.m. Friday, October 24, in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.

If you contacted us, thank you for taking the time to present us with your opinions and beliefs.

As of October 26, 2003
(As reported by Brian Nadig in the October 26, 2003 edition of the "Reporter")

Association president Joan Ferraro said that the continuance will give the association more time to prepare its arguments against the proposal. She said that the association, which represents residents of a townhouse complex east of the site, prefers a residential use for the property.

The board of directors of the Sauganash Community Association, which represents home owners in the area, has voted to endorse the bank's proposal (see September 23, 2003 update above).

Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) said that she is waiting to receive written assurances from North Shore which would rectify what she described as "minor objections" to the bank's plans related to parking and traffic concerns.

Some residents have expressed concern that although the proposed 20-space parking lot satisfies city parking codes, it might not be large enough to accommodate both customers and the anticipated eight to 10 bank employees, which could lead to employees parking on side streets in the area.

John Fritchey, an attorney representing the bank, said that the bank is working on a lease agreement which would allow for the parking of up to 15 employee vehicles at a church in the area.

The site was re-zoned last June from B2-1 to B4-2 to accommodate the project. Some residents were upset that Laurino did not hold a community meeting on the proposed zoning change before it was passed by the City Council.

During the mid-1990s strong community opposition thwarted plans to bring a pharmacy with a drive-through facility to the site. That opposition led Laurino to have the site down-zoned from B4-1 to B2-1, which does not allow for drive-through facilities.

Fritchey, who serves in the General Assembly as a state representative, said that the bank has altered its plans to include additional landscaping along Peterson Avenue by narrowing the parking lot slightly without reducing the number of parking spaces. "What we started with was a very good proposal, and what we have now is even a better one," he said.

The final proposal will be voted on by the Zoning Board of Appeals, slated to meet on Wednesday, December 17 at 11 a.m. At this meeting we will be testifying in favor of the bank's plans for a drive-through.

As of December 7, 2003
(As reported by Brian Nadig in the December 7, 2003 edition of the "Reporter")

Pikarski said that as of noon Friday, Dec. 5, his office had not received the documents, which include copies of property appraisals that the bank plans to use in its presentation to the zoning board. When deciding on a special use request, the zoning board takes into consideration how an applicant's proposal would affect the property values of nearby homes or businesses.

The special use permit is being sought to allow construction of a three-lane drive-through facility at the site. The proposal calls for a 2 1/2-story, 16,641-square-foot facility to be constructed on the site of the closed Glenlake Garden Centre.

The Sauganash Village Homeowners Association, which represents residents of a townhouse complex east of the site, opposes the project and is calling for the property to be rezoned for residential use. We support the bank's plans.

The site was rezoned last June from B2-1 to B4-2 to accommodate the project. An earlier proposal for a pharmacy with a drive-through facility was dropped in the face of community opposition 8 years ago, at a time when the site was zoned B4-1.

As of December 19, 2003
(As reported by Brian Nadig in the December 21, 2003 edition of the "Reporter")

The third floor of a proposed bank at the southeast corner of Peterson and Kostner avenues would be turned into unusable attic space under a compromise which will reduce the height of the by 5 feet.

A tentative agreement between North Shore Community Bank and residents who opposed construction of the bank was brokered late Thursday, about 12 hours before a hearing on the matter. The bank agreed to the height reduction and to several other conditions asked for by residents at the Dec. 19 meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals, which heard the bank's request for a special use permit for a drive-through facility at the site. The board did not immediately rule on the request.

"I feel we have accomplished a monumental amount of good for the community," said zoning attorney John Pikarski Jr., a Sauganash resident who had voiced strong objections to the bank's original plans for a three-story, 16,641-square-building. "Effectively, we've reduced the size of the building by one third." "I feel the community has brought up some valid issues which have been addressed... the bank has responded," said Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th).

Pikarski said that many residents objected to the original plans because of the size of the building would be out of character for the neighborhood. He said that under the compromise the architectural design of the building would remain virtually the same, including the gable-style roof, but representatives of the bank were not sure that they could retain planned decorative dormers.

ANOTHER CONCERN raised by some residents was that the 20-space parking lot would not be large enough to accommodate both employees and customers of the

bank, leading to parking congestion on Kostner. Bank officials had responded that they planned to lease parking space for its employees at a nearby church and that the third floor would be reserved for storage purposes, but some residents expressed concern that the bank might lease office space to other businesses.

Pikarski said that the elimination of the third floor significantly reduces the space which could be used for offices for either bank employees or potential tenants. The bank also would be prohibited for 2 years from leasing space to outside businesses under the terms of the agreement. The compromise also includes a request that the automated teller of the drive-through be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and that there be no outdoor advertising on the site promoting the presence of an ATM to passersby. Bank officials have said that their ability to comply with that request depends on the contract it has with the ATM provider and that it would try to renegotiate the contract if necessary.

Pikarski said that enhanced pedestrian walkway which runs along the east side of the property from Peterson Avenue to Sauganash Park.The bank also has agreed to provide landscaping and lighting along the pedestrian walkway which runs along the east side of the property from Peterson Avenue to Sauganash Park. The bank has also agreed to install signs warning motorists about the pedestrian walkway as they exit the bank's parking lot onto Peterson and a sign cautioning Pedestrians about vehicles turning out of the bank's lot, Pikarski said. Representatives of the bank said at the meeting that they would make an effort to relocate that exit further west so that it will be farther from the walkway. In addition, left turns will not be allowed onto Kostner to prevent motorists from cutting through the neighborhood after they leave the bank, Pikarski said.

OTHER CONDITIONS of the agreement include a 42-inch height limit on the bank's main sign on Peterson and an assurance that the president of the Sauganash Village Homeowners Association would be appointed to a local advisory board of directors which North Shore is considering for its Sauganash location. The association, which had sought to block the bank by having the property down-zoned for residential use, asked for representation on the board so that it could make bank officials aware of any future concerns. The association represents a townhouse complex located to the east of the site.

As noted above, we voted on September 23rd to endorse the bank's plans and thought the bank would be a welcome addition to the community. The bank addressed concerns of our board at previous meetings and that the bank's willingness to alter its plans was an indication of its willingness to work with the community. We think it is always good when people can come to a compromise. Some parts of the agreement were similar to assurances which the bank had already made to the community. We don't think (the agreement) changes what the bank was going to do. We are impressed with the appearance of the facility, and zoning board chairman Joseph Spingola agreed at the meeting, calling the proposed building "gorgeous."

The site, formerly occupied by the closed Glenlake Garden Centre, was rezoned from B2-1 to B4-2 last June at the request of Laurino to accommodate the project. An earlier proposal for a pharmacy with a drive-through facility was dropped in the face of community opposition 8 years ago, after which Laurino had the property rezoned from B4-1 to B2-1.

Representatives of the bank said that the garden center could be demolished this winter and that March is the earliest that construction could start on the bank. They said that the facility could be open in about a year.