City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'd like to call to order the city council meeting for the city of Highland Park, Illinois, March 30th, 2026. Will the clerk please call the role? Council member Cent. Council member Buckman here. Council member Ross here. Council member Tapia present. Council member Little here. Council member Bloomberg. Mayor Roing

here. We have a quorum. Everyone please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May I have a motion to approve the minutes of the regular city council meeting held February 23rd, 2026 and a motion to approve the minutes of the closed session of the rescheduled regular meeting of the city council also held February 23rd, 2026. So moved. Second. All in favor say I. I. Those minutes are approved. Thank you. Thank you for being present.

Uh may I have a motion to approve the warrant list? So moved. Second. Any comments or questions on the warrant list? Any from the public? Hearing none, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member center. Hi. Council member Buckman. Hi. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little. Hi. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing.

I. Seven eyes's no nays. And the warrant list is approved. Continuing on to the report of the mayor. Uh we have one appointment this evening to fill a vacancy on the sustainability advisory group. one of 17 active advisory groups, boards, and commissions that provide critical input on policy initiatives. I'm seeking council concurrence on the appro on the appointment of Jessica D. Scott for a term effective May 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. Do I have your concurrence?

Great. Thank you to Miss Scott for her volunteerism on behalf of our community. I have no proclamations. Uh we have no other business, so we will continue on. Is there any business from the council? I believe the next item on our agenda is for those council members who are serving as council liaison to several of the city's advisory boards, groups, and commissions to hear firsthand to share firsthand from the outstanding volunteers who share their time and expertise on one of these groups. Tonight, we'll only hear from two, not the whole kitten kaboodleoodle. Uh we're going to hear from council member Bloomberg, who is the council liaison to the Highland Park Public Library Board of Trustees. And then we're going to hear from council member Ross who serves as liaison to the plan and design commission. Council member Bloomberg, let's begin with you.

Thank you, Mayor Roing. As you heard, I serve as liaison to the Highland Park Public Library Board of Trustees. And I'm pleased to share this update with you this evening. The library has nine appointed trustees. The president is Irene Hoffman and the executive director is Heidi Smith. The library's mission is opening doors to information and imagination. library's expansion project and fundraising campaign are ongoing. The expansion will add approximately 8,000 square feet to expand youth services, build ADA compliant restrooms, launch an innovation studio, advance the Highland Park archives, and double the community meeting space to serve up to 175 attendees. The lower level market space marker space and workrooms are anticipated to be completed next month and the main floor is scheduled to be completed by October of 2026. The library board approved a budget amendment increasing the bud uh project budget $800,000 to $10,815,000 as a result of unforeseen conditions identified and to provide a contingency for any additional unforeseen conditions. The library welcomes more than 700 people each day through its doors. The library has seen tremendous support from the community to help fund their expansion. Approximately $486,000 has been pledged and $347,000 received for a total of $815,000 to date. The final mailed appeal will go out to the community midappril to invite participation before the campaign ends on June 30th of 1986. The library is planning a community celebration in December of 2026 to welcome everyone to explore the new and improved spaces we've paid for. Thank you.

Great. Thank you, Council Member Bloomberg, and thank you to all the members of the library board of trustees for your incredible leadership. It's super exciting to see the library edition beginning to take shape next door, and we look forward to continued progress updates as we await the grand reopening. Council member Ross, if I could ask you for an update regarding the plan and design commission.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, I serve as uh council leazison to the plan and design commission. Uh, the plan and design commission consists of seven commissioners and it's chaired by uh chair Steve Kirch. In its staff liaison is senior planner Carl Burhoff and its secretary is Joel Joel Fontaine, community development director. The commission held 22 meetings to consider 29 total projects in 2025, including six special meetings. Uh, and they held over 17 hours of public meetings related to the redevelopment of the 1700 old Deerfield Road site, the former Solo Cup site. The commission's work included, is there a way to The commission's work included eight signed design review applications which included comprehensive sign package updates for the Highland Park Hospital, Dunkin Donuts, and Lucid, a new car dealership coming to Highland Park. The commission also conducted a design review and approved Keshett's building at its 799 Central Avenue location. The commission also reviewed 10 plan development applications which included the approval of a redevelopment of the long vacant 28.6 acre for former Solo Cup site at 1700 Old Deerfield Road. The site was approved for 2277 town homes including 34 affordable units. Other exciting developments approved include the 30-unit Laurel Park phase 2 project which revived the long defunct Laurel Park planned development. This project will put into productive use long vacant land and it will result in a 12unit multif family building and 18 town home units. Another exciting project is the 22 unit Oliver town homes at Green Bay Road and Glen View Avenue. This project

will reinvigorate a corner of our city that had previously seen neglect, plus the 11-unit multif family uh development at 734 Central Avenue and the 19 unit Walnut uh Walton, I'm sorry, the 19un Walton at 1632-16462nd Street. The commission also helped preserve the quality of life in our community uh through its consideration of a zoning text amendment related to time share uses. Throughout the last year, the commission also considered four plats of sub subdivision, two special use permits, two zoning code text amendments, one special exception, and one land use interpretation. So, it was an exciting busy year with many great projects. and the city is extremely thankful to the commission for its commitment to volunteering to serve Highland Park.

Great. Thank you, Council Member Ross, and thank you to all the dedicated volunteers on the plan and design commission. Over the past year, they've provided thoughtful insights on a number of high-profile projects, not the least of which is the forthcoming town home development at the former Solo Cup property, and we appreciate all of their significant investment of time and expertise, excuse me, and review of the projects throughout the year. Um, as I've said before, a city growing is a city progressing, and the PDC has done a lot of work to help us in that realm. Is there any other business from the council? Nope. Okay. City Manager Newkerk, will you provide the staff report, please?

Yes. Thank you, Mayor. Um, just two reports this evening. One, want to provide an update on the planning for the permanent place of remembrance. Um, first I just want to recognize, um, uh, Mayor Roering and Council Member Bloomberg who serve on our working group. Um, they include other representatives as well. Um, and our staff team that has been working on planning for the permanent place of remembrance includes Emily Ta who's our uh one of our assistant city managers, Jasmine Alejandro representing the resiliency division and Amanda Bennett our communications manager. Um, so if we could go to the next slide. Um, so we've been working with two consultants SWA and all together as we are planning for the permanent place of remembrance. temporary location which is adjacent to city hall at the rose garden is going to remain in place until the permanent ones are complete. Um this provides an overview of a general timeline that the uh group is advancing. We are currently in the ideation stage right now that'll continue through um the end of April and you can see we are targeting a completion date of next year um ideally by independence day but around um that summer or fall. And then if we can go to the next slide. So public engagement is a critical component as part of this planning effort. We are using a trauma-informed approach. Um we're in regular communication with victims next of kin um the general public as well as um people outside of Highland Park but have a love of Highland Park and may have been here um during uh during the tragic incident that we endured. So uh listed on the screen there are a number of different ways that we are engaging with the community. Just want to draw everyone's attention to an upcoming workshop on April 16th that's going to be held here uh at city hall. Further information is on our website, but uh individuals are welcome to attend that workshop if they're not interested or not available um and want to provide

feedback in other ways. We are inviting feedback via email or there's survey participation as well. Then if we go to that next slide um so our place remembrance website is listed there. We are amplifying that website which has regular progress reports um and resource and services that are available to the general public as well. Um we've dedicated email list. So if anyone is not on that email list and wishes to be included for regular updates um we're happy to include them. And then we're providing um really strategic uh time-sensitive updates via the city's e-news, providing regular updates uh at city council meetings, and then direct outreach again to um to project interest list. Um and then um go that next slide. Um and then just the other item that we wanted to report on is just the omnibus agenda. There are 16 items on the omnibus agenda. All are recommended for approval. I just want to highlight three agenda items. Um item number three um uh an elected official had raised a question about this one. So I just want to make sure um uh it is clear what is being requested. Um this is seating the city's private activity bond allocation to the village of Buffalo Grove. Um so each year as a home rule unit of government in the state of Illinois, we receive a an allocation of $135 per capita. So for uh Highland Park, based on our population, it's about 4.2 million. It's not dollars that were given. It'd be great if it was dollars, but it's not. It's an allocation that we are able to seed to um generally industrial type businesses and they can use the city's bonding authority um as it pertains to purchase of equipment or purchase of property. So every year we make this allocation available to our business community. Um there was not anyone interested in that allocation and

so we are recommending that it be seated to the village of Buffalo Grove. Um they as a home row unit of government just serve as the pool host uh on behalf of Lake County Partners which is a nonprofit and that's the economic development group of Lake County. And so they um organizations, communities seed their allocation to Lake County partners and then they uh provide it to entities based on need and different criteria that have to be met. So that's recommended for approval. Item number 13 um uh was recommended to be pulled um at that time. This pertains to a designation of a local landmark. So we're pleased to provide a short staff report as it pertains to that agenda item. And then the last one I just wanted to highlight is item number 14, which is an intergovernmental agreement with school district 113. And so a special thanks to them for um just being wonderful sister governments and partners. We're working with all of our uh government partners on planning for the Independence Day celebration. So this specific agreement provides for the use of 113 school buses as part of our emergency preparedness plan. And for public information, we do want to invite the public to join us for Independence Day. So, we've got a wealth of information on our website. We're currently accepting applications for um neighborhoods, individuals, businesses to be part of the parade.

Wonderful. Thank you, city manager Newkerk. Much appreciated. Assistant to the city manager Palitzka, if you could please introduce the next item on our agenda, which is business from the public.

Thank you, Mayor. The next item on the agenda is business from the public. This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the city council on a topic that is within the council's purview and jurisdiction but is not listed in another location on the agenda. If you would like to speak about a matter that is listed on the agenda, we ask that you wait until that agenda item is called and we will give you an opportunity to speak. Then if your matter is on the omnibus consent agenda, please let us know if you would like us to remove that matter from the consolidated list so that you can speak about it. Please be aware that business from the public is not intended to be a forum for open dialogue or engagement with members of the city council. Rather, it is intended as an opportunity to make comments to the city council. Please do not expect a response from anyone tonight. If appropriate, questions may be directed to the city manager or other city staff. All comments should be directed to the city council. All speakers will be limited to three minutes. We request that speakers refrain from throwing objects or using noise makers and that the public not applaud or make other comments after any speaker. We ask that everyone be respectful, civil, and non-repetitive. Great. Thank you. So, just to reiterate, this is uh for comments not related to an item on tonight's agenda. Are there any members of the public who wish to be heard on an item not on tonight's agenda? If so, please come forward. Seeing none, we'll continue with our scheduled business. Our next grouping is omnibus consideration of 16 items. I'm requesting that we pull item 13. Council member Little, you had a comment regarding item one, but you don't want to pull.

No, I don't want to pull it. I just um we have a grant for an exterior uh storefront and that there's specific things that we require of it. We give 50% um to the business owner if they improve their business and they are going to do the other 50% and we require significant documentation the fact that they looked at other options and we'd like to see the proofs of it and I requested seeing the specific signage and I I only saw like storefront or you know what it's going to look like which is definitely an improvement but I want to make sure that our money considering it's taxpayer money that's going to a grant is is being used properly and that those signs are really being done and that there was a full bidding process which is part of our application. So I just want an assurance from staff that in fact that was done and submitted.

Yes. And and you've seen the proofs and whatnot. Correct. Right. So, I showed you one image and then just the other um businesses haven't applied for for signs at that point. Um but they've got the framework for the sign package and what would be constructed. So, it does meet the criteria. The money because it's $20,000. So, the other two will be applying for it. They just haven't finished or completed their signage yet. No, I think it's all Go ahead. Sorry. I believe it's a full package as it is. as it stands, they were quoted for the quotes we've received were for all three signs. Okay.

Um so once they're all complete on what they want their designs to be, then we'll have that finalized, but no dollars go out to them until the work is completed and the receipts are received and reviewed by staff. And at that time, if their final costs are under um the 50%, that's why we say a maximum of 20,000. So if they come in under that, if their their portion is under that, we match that 50% up to that 20,000. But you'll see a markup at that point, too. Correct. Oh, absolutely. And and what we have approved is the sign packaged. So we know what it looks like for all those signs. Well, we know the outside, but we haven't seen their act for two of them. We don't And that everyone's required to get a permit for that work. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you.

Uh so with that, I'm seeking a motion to approve items 1 through 12, 14 through 16. Do I have that motion? Second. Thank you. Any comments or questions on items 1 through 12 or 14- 16? Nope. Any from the public? Seeing none, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member center. Hi. Council member Buckman. Hi. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little. Hi. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing.

I. Seven eyes. No. Items 1 through 12 and 14 through 16 have been approved. Item 13 is an ordinance designating the property at 818 Hill Street as a local landmark. And this is just such a cool story that I didn't want it just lumped up in the consolidated agenda. So, uh, it looks like you're ready to tell us a little bit about this house and, uh, we will take action moving forward.

Okay. Well, thank you, mayor, and thank you, council. Um, this is about an ordinance designating 818 Hill Street a local landmark. Um, staff recommend approval of the attached ordinance designating the property at 818 Hill um, a local landmark as recommended by the Historic Preservation Commission. We're very excited to do so. Um, the owners Thomas Hiller and P Jin Sun have voluntarily nominated their property for local landmark designation. The property is part of Edith Rockefeller's Highland development. It's a 1925 tutor style home with Swedish folk elements. Has a rare faux thatched roof as you'll see in a moment. Um, architect is Harry Harry Beningjen um the Swedish immigrant. The tutor style characteristics of this home are really uh very significant. Um it mimics an oldworld Swedish architecture. Horizontal plan, multi multiple gable roof, prominent chimney, mixed materials, logs, plaster, stone, and cedar timbering and faux thatched roof. It's a rare tutor style according to the field guide for American houses. Um just to take a look at the home, there are a few pictures we share with you. the chimney details and you'll see here the Swedish Mayflower uh depicted in that chimney there. Um the existing home is quite exquisite. Um has many features worthy of preservation. Here's a a view from the the west facade. Um and the property uh context as well from the west facade. And that's an important element of this because the historic preservation commission did recommend that the property, not just the structure, be designated a local landmark. Um the property has some of the original uh trees and stands for that wooded property lot that initi that was initiated through this uh

subdivision long ago about 100 years now. Um, in terms of the cons uh the commission's consideration, on February 9th, the preservation commission adopted a resolution uh recommending a preliminary landmark designation as called out for in our code. They found that seven landmark criteria were met um and that the home possessed and the property possess sufficient integrity. Um on March 12th, the commission voters voted unanimously um to adopt a planning report and findings of fact and made final recommendation to designate 188 uh 818 Hill Street uh property a local landmark. Um just in terms of the scope of the landmark designation recommendation, I just uh alert the council to that uh the commission can recommend structures, properties, landscapes, and or objects be designated as local landmarks for our code, chapter 24 of the city code. In this case, the commission recommends the designation of the property as a whole, including the structure. Um, the entire parcel is associated with Edith Rockefeller McCormack and her work as a real estate developer. The parcel is representative of early Highlands development. Um, and the site retains its historic features such as trees that existed back in 1928. The corner lot setting reinforces the structure significance and is and is an established visible feature of the city and thus worthy of preservation. So I just took some snippets out there from their their report mayor um to just highlight that aspect of it. And again staff do recommend that uh the attached ordinance be um be adopted designating this property at 818 Hill Street a local landmark. So, I encourage everybody to

take a drive by. Thank you, Joel, for the report. Thank you to the Highland Park Preservation Commission and for your staff. They did a remarkable report. Um, some of the trees are original to the site. My understanding from reading the report is that many of the building materials came from a cabin in Mundelion from the 1830s. So, the building materials are actually older than the Stupy Cabin, which we thought was the oldest building in Highland Park. And Edith Rockefeller McCormack was the daughter of John D. Rockefeller. And so to have that tie to that family, that history, and then have this house as a really lovely sort of exhibit of unique architecture that's been preserved, I thought was worth pulling out of the omnibus agenda and sharing. Um, really appreciate what you guys have put forth. And I'm now seeking a motion to approve the appro to approve the uh the resolution.

Move to approve the resolution. Ordinance. Ordinance. ordinance. Sorry. You have a motion. We have a second. Uh, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member center. Hi. Council member Buckman. I. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little. Hi. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing.

I. Seven eyes, no nays. Item 13 is approved. And this is an effort by the city as we head into the 250 years of America. Let's also celebrate the special history of our own community. So delighted to share that story with all of you. Um, we have two items that were removed from the omnimous vote consideration. Item A is a resolution approving an agreement with Kimosi Incorporated for construction management services for the renovation of the city's public services center and fire station 34. I think we've talked about this a lot. Do we need a presentation or are people ready to take action? Okay, question.

Uh, yes, Council Member S. Um obviously this ties into other projects that we're speaking about to the extent that the scope needs to be refined. How does that work with the selected uh uh construction management construction management company?

That's a great question. Um so approval of the consultant does not mean approval of the project and it certainly does not mean that you've that you've established the scope of the project. So we're still working that. Um but the construction manager is an important component as part of the consultant team and also working with the staff team. So the architect, engineer, construction manager are working on the plan development and looking at options. So as we take a look at different options that's part of their role and we'll be coming back to the city council um based on the feedback and conversations that we've been having. If you want to overall change the scope of planning for this project, we would work with them. But I believe um if I'm understanding correctly and kind of based on our conversations, they're going to be looking at a myriad of different options as we take a look at the totality of this project. That's part of their responsibility

and providing input to our analysis of which way to proceed. Correct. planning costing

and we're are we putting ourselves at a pricing disadvantage by engaging them with some of these open items or this is ordinary course in terms of moving forward with them with the decision today? Yeah, I believe we put ourselves at a disadvantage if we do not hire a construction manager at this time because they provide added um value, so financial value to the overall planning and cost considerations um as well as just efficiency and looking at maximizing the city's resources based on different plan design options. I had the same question because I was like, "Okay, we haven't quite figured out." And just for those of you who haven't been keeping track of what we're talking about, the city is looking at um replacing uh fire station 34, which is on half-day road, and also looking at addressing needs at the public works center also on half day road. And so the question is, do we do one huge project up there? Do we bifrocate it into two projects? What are we doing with these projects? Um, we spent a couple of hours this afternoon on a field trip up there just looking at what the space needs, what the work conditions were for all of these groups who are so important in providing public safety to our community. So now we're kind of like, okay, we have an architect. We have been talking about this, but we need to better understand really what the costs are for living space versus fleet space versus parking space. and we've got a flood zone and all the good stuff that makes this a really meaty project. But we're going to also need some experts to give us some input so we can make those decisions in a way that maximizes the efficiencies of using tax dollars and and meets the needs of the people who are working up there. Uh, council member Bloomberg had a question and then I'll go to you.

Wanted to modify something you Okay, council member Bloomberg. So, so just following up on what council member center was addressing with you, Kamosi can also help us address the scope of the project. Yes. Um and and can provide some additional cost containment. Yes. In that way. Exactly. Okay. Great. Thank you, Council Ross. Um thank you. And and to that point, uh we're looking at square footage and how much square footage we actually need. But I just wanted to mention since we're uh sharing with the public about this project that it also includes community development uh as well. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Brockman.

Thank you. And um all of our questions and concerns that we've discussed in committee of the whole will be related to this Kamoski. Samoski, I assume. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Right. Tons of questions. So, back to the question at hand. Um do we have a motion to approve item A? So move. Second. Any further questions or comments? Any from the public? Hearing none, will the clerk please call the vote? Council member center. Hi. Council member Buckman. Hi. Council member Ross. Hi. Council member Tapia. Hi. Council member Little. I. Council member Bloomberg. Hi. Mayor Roing.

I. Seven eyes, no nays. Item A is approved. Item B is a resolution directing the consideration of zoning code text amendment allowing a new land use as a conditional use requiring a plan development in certain limited locations. and the R2 residential zoning district. Um, we are going to proceed first with a statement from our corporation council, followed by a statement from our community development director. We will then hear from Mr. Cooper, and we will then have um some public comment. This is not a hearing to decide what we're doing with this project. This is literally are we even going to move forward with the public process to talk about this project? But I'm going to let corporation counsel kind of start the introduction.

Thanks, Mayor. Um, and I think it is important to understand the the context um within which this matter is being presented. It is a unique proceeding as I mentioned to you when this was last considered at the um December 15th committee of the whole. Ordinarily, when a property owner seeks zoning relief from the city, they would apply to the city. They would have a public hearing before the plan and design commission which would be held pursuant to public notice. Um and that then would be recommended the decision in favor or against would be recommended up to the city council. The city council would then consider it and and vote on the project. Um Highland Park has a unique provision in its zoning code. No one, no property owner has the ability to petition for an amendment to to the text of the zoning code. Individual can petition for a map amendment, but not a text amendment. The only entities or individuals that have the ability to initiate a text amendment to the zoning code are the city manager, the plan and design commission, and the city council. So, Mr. Cooper, the owner of the property at 2700 Point Lane, desires a text amendment, and he is asking the city council to exercise its legislative discretion. and it is your discretion to initiate a zoning text change. Now, that's important because as you indicated, Mayor, we're here tonight in your legislative capacity. This is not, as you noted, a public hearing.

Procedural due process is not required for tonight's um matter. If the council votes to deny Mr. Cooper's request, the matter ends. period. If the council votes to approve his request, all that it is doing is initiating the public process. A public hearing will be required to take place before the plan and design commission at which unlimited public comment will be must be allowed. cross-examination and all of the uh procedural due process acrements will be afforded at that time. So therefore, mayor, um as you noted, you you're not required to have public comment for this matter at all tonight. You're here in your legislative capacity, but you may allow public comment. That's entirely up to you.

Great. Thank you so much. Um Community Development Director Fontaine, if you want to

share with us your brief presentation, that'd be great. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Okay. Um, so before you tonight, a consideration of whether to adopt a resolution referring a zoning code amendment to the plan design commission for consideration, as corporation council talked about, to allow new land use as a conditional use requiring a plan development in limited locations within the R2 residential zoning district. Um, Champions Point LLC, the owner of the property at 2700 Point Lane, proposes a new conditional land use, a cultural and educational institution located on a privatelyowned real uh, residential estate and transforming it into a worldclass museum focused on excellence, character, discipline, and personal greatness. The land use is a type of public attraction use and the owner projects the attraction will draw about 300 to 500 visitors per day 100 to 180,000 per year. Um this property is located in a residential neighborhood along the west south and east bordering it and it abuts the park district property to the north the Heler Nature Center. The proposed land use is not allowed. It would require a zoning text amendment as we had mentioned earlier. Here's the property and it's juxosition to the neighborhood that abuts it. Uh as well as the Helen Nature Center. Um as I had mentioned, uh the proposed use is not allowed and would require a zoning text amendment. conditional use requiring a special use uh permit and plan development are both in the resolution this evening before you. So if this were to be referred for consideration by the plan and design commission to recommend to you um it would require uh a public hearing which

includes a detailed consideration of the use to determine whether the specific proposal at a particular location meets the standards for approval. So that would happen concurrently with the zoning text amendment should that be referred. Um policy consideration for the council is should allowing the should allowing the proposed text amendment be formally considered through a zoning text amendment process or not? Your choices on how to proceed are one adopt the resolution. Uh the result would be the plan design commission will hold a hearing and make recommendations provided uh provided that the property owner submits the required applications and other approvals as described in the resolution. Two, do not adopt the resolution. The result of this action would be that the matter is not referred to the the plan and design commission and no is no longer a policy consideration. Three, take no action. The result here is nothing happens. the matter is not referred to the commission and is no longer a policy consideration unless it is taken up by the council at some other time in the future. Those are your three options uh madame mayor and council. Um and I do uh indicate that the property owner has provided information about the the his proposal, the proposed use itself, traffic and parking, environmental and economic impacts and community benefits. Those were all provided in your packet. U for this evening as well as public comment that we've received. Thank you, Madame Mayor. That's the end of my presentation.

Great. Thank you. Uh director and Mr. Cooper and his um his his team are here this evening and we do have his presentation materials at your discretion.

Okay, great. Thank you. So, just to reiterate, this is not a public hearing and uh Mr. Cooper is not an applicant this evening. He has come to share his idea and this council will hear from several members of the public. I don't expect this meeting to go on for three hours. We'll hear the gist from all of you. We've received emails on both sides of this question and uh then we'll either take action or not take action to then send it to the plan and design commission. Uh Mr. Cooper, if you want to come forward and say a few words, that would be great and then we'll proceed from there. Thank you. Now we'll go forward. Well, thank you for uh allowing me to be here. I I was sort of reflecting on it as I was sitting in my seat there um to have this opportunity to to consider using this property in in a way that can um can do some amazing things. Uh good evening, mayor and members of city council. Thank you for the opportunity to present Champions Point. At its core, this proposal is about transforming a unique property into a controlled appointment-based educational experience. One that is designed to first respect the neighborhood and second to deliver meaningful value back to the community. We heard the concerns on traffic, noise, privacy, and precedent. And we redesigned the project around those concerns. This is not an open access attraction. It's a closed system. All visitors park offsite and arrive by scheduled shuttle. Uh if you

don't take the shuttle, you can't get into the property. The walking path is over 400 ft from any home. Operations end early in the evening. And we're committed to privacy fencing, security, and strict limits on activity. We're also addressing concerns that are rarely addressed in projects like this, uh most notably property values. We're putting a place uh in place a financial backs stop to ensure that neighbors are protected. At the same time, the project is designed to give back in a very real and measurable way. Free access for all Highland Park residents in year one, annual visits for every student, 48 days per year of donated use, and ongoing financial contributions tied to revenue, not profit. This is not a model that asks the community to wait for benefits. Those commitments begin immediately and continue every year. Ultimately, this is a low impact, highly controlled experience that operates within clear limits and provides a level of community reinvestment that is uncommon for this type of project. We're committed to continuing to work with the city of Highland Park to ensure that those protections are formalized and enforceable. I'm going to walk you through a couple slides. I I'll go quickly.

There we go.

Yep. Okay. Thank you. Um, so just to introduce myself, I'm John Cooper. Actually born in Evston, grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Moved back here 17 years ago. Uh, went to University of Chicago Booth School of Business for my MBA. Uh, I'm in real estate for the last 15 years. And, uh, I'm married with four kids, all four born in Highland Park Hospital. Next slide. Um, this venture is really connected to all facets of the community. There are ways that it that it reaches in and uh works with the business sector, works with the education sector, works with um the park district and elements of the government, and certainly works with the community. Next one. Um, so December 15th when I was here last time, the goal was to to listen. Um, I heard a lot of great questions from city council members, the mayor, um, from my neighbors. And so that's why we didn't rush into another meeting is because I wanted to really think this through, have professional reports made so it wasn't just me saying something, but wanted to actually make sure this wasn't going to do damage to nature, uh, to the neighbors, to, um, to the community. So, some of the specific things I heard um concerns were the proximity of the walking path. You know, one neighbor pointed out how close it came to his backyard and, you know, a fear of people being able to see into his yard and that's that's a valid concern. So, I went back and looked at the Heler Nature Center and we were able to find another path that is several hundred feet further away from all the neighbors properties. So, originally we were proposing coming in on the north west side of the property. we moved that over to the northeast. So, you know, if you imagine a football field and then some, you know, trying to see through an

entire forest 400 ft, you're not even going to do that in the dead of winter. Uh nor will you be able to hear people talking 400 ft away. Uh neighborhood security. Um a neighbor mentioned there was a burglary in uh in the community, you know, years before uh before I was part of the community. And um you know what we would have 247 security, but that can be extended to the entire community. I've talked with my neighbors before about this idea of possibly uh turning these two blocks into a gated community and really having total control over who who could come and go, which would be a net benefit to the security of the neighborhood. Uh excessive traffic in the neighborhood. You know, currently there's anywhere from, I'd say, 20 to 100 cars a day that will stop in front of the gate just to take pictures. And these people might be coming from from out of town. They might be Highland Park residents who are bringing their family when they're in town. Um, and they're respectful and they stop in front of the gate and take some pictures and usually they move on. Um, part of my proposal is to bring that gate on the interior of the property and just replace it with a regular gate. So there would no longer be people queuing up, stopping out on the street there, taking pictures, sometimes lording. That would actually go away. So that could be 20 to 100 less vehicles per day coming into the community, which would be a net benefit uh to the neighbors. We also would have offsite shuttle parking. So, I've located a parking lot in Banickburn, and there would be one shuttle every 15 minutes that would bring people up to the Heler Nature Center where they would then walk on the designated path quietly and respectfully to get to the property. Uh, I heard protecting neighborhood uh the values of my neighbors properties. That that's important. It's a big investment. A house is a big investment for everybody. Um what what we're going to do is uh Champions Point would be obligated to

cover any lost value of the properties. We can we can get into later how that would work, but I'm committed to making sure nobody is is hurt hurt hurt by any of this. Next slide. Uh large number of people, you know, we're um SB Freriedman did a study and they're projecting 300 to 500 people per day on average. Um, it'd be like a a bus drops off 12 to 15 people every 15 minutes. So, if you if you imagine the forest and imagine two or three families walking through the forest every 15 minutes, this is the amount of traffic that we're that we're talking about here. Um, we were going to do limited timed entrance. So, this isn't a can we sell the most amount of tickets and bring a thousand people here. This is limited every, you know, maybe it'll be every 15 minutes we'll have x number of people that can come into the property. What this does is it creates a steady and a predictable flow. You you you're never the system is never overwhelmed. There's never lots of noise or commotion. Um the impact on trees at Heler, uh we've got Han Associates will come up and give a quick five-minute presentation on the study that they did, but the summary is there are no trees that need to be cut down to make this happen. And again, you know, if you imagine a couple families walking through the forest every 15 minutes, it's not detrimental um if they're staying on the on the trail there. Uh economic benefits. Uh SB Freriedman uh prepared a study and they'll talk about how this could create 41 jobs in our local economy here, $2.6 $6 million in new wages, over a million dollars in financial support pouring back into the city through the park district and through potentially a new a new tax on on the museum. Uh, additionally, there could be up to $1.36 million in community spending. These are people that are coming for the museum, but they're sticking around. They're enjoying a restaurant, staying at a

hotel, or buying some gas. This helps support the local economy. It makes for a more vibrant downtown. Lastly, um I talked about this having charitable aspects to it and the mayor rightly pointed out, look, if this is going to be charity, give me more than 13%. Um, some of the things that we're doing is there's a financial contribution that will go back to the park district and they can use it however they want. I suspect part of that will go directly to making Heler Nature Center uh more vibrant. you know, there's a pond there at the end and a gazebo and those things could be improved. Um, that's in addition to all the direct uh new expenses that would be born directly from Champions Point. Um, I would be happy to pay some kind of a entertainment tax. You know, as a as a member of the community, there should be money going back into the community. We would be using more services. So, that makes a lot of sense. So, I would be an advocate for that. Uh, additionally, I've created a 501c3 called Champions Legacy. We're going to take this greatness theme, the that the museum revolves around, and we're going to create a curriculum, and the money that's going into Champions Legacy is going to fund getting that into our school system. So, we want to start a pilot program in Lake uh, Lake County, but specifically in the high schools um, of Highland Park. So, that's where that comes into play. Additionally, there'll be 48 free community days. And I think it's important that all members of the Highland Park community are able to come to the museum for free during the first year one time so they can have that experience and know, you know, what's here in their community. So, what is Champions Point inside the mind of greatness? Uh, it's a structured guided experience focused on personal development using the environment, storytelling, and interactive elements to help people reflect on discipline, mindset, and goal

setting. My goal is to have people leave there better than when they came in. To have them leave inspired, to know that that they're valued, that they were created for a purpose, and that they can do great things in their life. How are we going to make sure that we do this operationally in a great way? Uh, one is to enforce the timed entry to manage flow. Um, we're going to have early closing time. So, in the summer we'll be closing at 7 p.m. and in the winter we'll close at 5:00 p.m. We talked a little bit about the off-site parking. There's the address of the proposed parking in uh in Banickburn. Every 15 minutes, one shuttle comes and one shuttle goes. So you're talking, you know, on Ridge Road, four vehicles coming in, four vehicles going out each hour, not not a burden. Uh there'll be digital enforcement. So what this means is you can't ride your bike to Heler Nature Center. You can't walk there and expect to come into the museum. You can't be dropped off in an Uber. And you can't park at Heler Nature Center. In order to get into the museum, you need to park at the off-site parking. And on the shuttle bus, we're going to scan their ticket. and they don't get into the museum unless their ticket was scanned. And this is how we ensure that no one's clogging up the nature center for the wrong reason because that needs to be the parking there needs to be people that are coming to enjoy nature. Uh lastly, we're going to make it fully ADA accessible. We're going to have 247 security and we're going to limit our evening events. We want to do just six events per year. All six are going to be fundraisers for nonprofits. Most of those are going to be for local Highland Park nonprofits. And this is something that is I I think an improvement for for my neighbors because as a homeowner you can you can have parties, you can have people over, friends, family, you can throw fundraisers. Here we're talking about limiting it to just six times a year all for great things for our community.

Uh some other aspects, uh 24 days per year is going to be donated for Highland Park community use. So, I'm envisioning this for the students of Highland Park. I want every student to have access to come here on a field trip, like kindergarten through high school. There'll be 24 additional days for the greater Chicago area. And this would be more like impoverished areas, kids that aren't going to normally get these type of opportunities. We talked about the free one-time admission for Highland Park residents. That's an estimated $2 million contribution in access value. And then lastly, we talked about the greatness curriculum, which we'll be piloting. I heard a question, can we do this? Have you done this? No, I've never opened a museum before. Um, but I have a great team of people, and some of them have. Some of the people that are on our team were involved with creating the Obama Presidential Center, the Smithsonian African-American Museum, and the National World War II Museum. With the curriculum, I've also never created a curriculum, but again, I've got a great team. And one of the gentlemen created an anti-bullying curriculum that went out into 20,000 high schools across America. It actually lowered bullying across the entire country. This gentleman is here in Highland Park and he's willing to help um do this and create this uh sort of celebration of being all that we can be. Uh he also created a self-esteem curriculum that was used at 3,500 universities. So we do have the expertise to to pull this off. Next. Next, there's going to be approximately 38% of the total economic value is going to flow back into the community. Uh we talked about how I want to make sure that uh that the neighbors home values are protected. This is not the the home value after the museum is there. This is the the home value now. Um there's it's going to be insulated. It'll be backed by an insurance policy. Um, this is going to be great for the

local community. There'll be a lot of jobs. Um, I'm going to skip over the environmental because we'll have somebody talk about that. Um, there are going to be several rich partnerships that we can have. We've got somebody that's going to talk um to the Kurts Cafe partnership, but it's an opportunity to to help people. It's an opportunity to rehabilitate people, give them show them that they have that they have value, help uh help teach them. And so we can be a part of that. Um we could actually take graduates from Kurt Curts Cafe and and employ them at the museum. So what we have here is a is a partnership opportunity. It's it's a chance for us to move together and use this special asset that Highland Park has in a way that can benefit people certainly our our local community, but it can even benefit outside of our community to the greater Chicagoland area. We can empower youth, provide residents access, fund local institutions, and foster a vibrant local economy. We can do this by while protecting the neighborhood. We can have enforceable quiet hours, zero leak transit, privacy fencing, 247 security, and property value back stops. I am flexible. I want to have a dialogue. Um, we, you know, we'll provide more independent studies and I'd love to work together to make a meaningful development.

Thank you. Great. Thank you so much. Um, excellence, character, discipline, greatness. I mean, who who's going to speak out against those attributes? And I appreciate everything that you're trying to do to bring to this unique opportunity. um you've listened, you've tried to problem solve. Of course, we still have questions. So, if you don't mind, um we'll go through the council's questions first if you could stick around. We do have um Do you have more to say? The environmental a person talk a few minutes on the environmental and then a person on the economic. Uh how much longer are they planning to talk? Um five minutes each is

uh Sure, that's fine. And then we'll get to the questions from the council. Okay. Okay. Um, good evening. My name is Tim Holloway. I'm a landscape architect with Hayne Associates. Um, our company was actually recommended by the park district. Um, we've done a bunch of work with Highland Park Park District. One of my proud things here in town is I was a project manager for the development of the preserve, the conversion of Highland Park Country Club. Also done some work with the city. Um, so quite familiar with the community and and really glad to be here. Um, just a little bit of background, John uh asked us to help address some of these questions. Um, I guess we can probably skip this. John just did a great job of explaining that. Um, again, off-site parking up to Heler Nature Center, uh, and a drop off. Um, so again, he he explained the the whole, uh, getting there. So, we can keep going. Um, we did look at, oh, I think it's four or five different routes through Heler Nature Center. um moving away from the neighbors. We had one route um farther to the north working with the park district. Um they were a little concerned about some impacts to the the prairie out at Heler and some of the uh quaking aspen trees. So we moved and came up with the the preferred route. Again, all using existing paths at Heler Nature Center, except for one very short stretch up in the southeast corner um to to join on to John's property, the

Champions Point property. Um it's like 50 ft, no tree removal anywhere on the Heler Nature Center property. Um one of my co-workers who is an ISA certified arborist did the tree evaluation. Um he concurs that there's not going to be any impacts to trees if people stay on the trails. Um they're well-developed aggregate trails. Um we also had two two folks that are Lake County SMC certified wetland delineators. Um we realize over the winter's not the greatest time to delineate wetlands, but with the schedule of the project, we did a preliminary wetland investigation. We don't believe there's going to be any wetland impacts. Of course, under the the county ordinance, we're going to have to go back during the growing season and redo the delineation to confirm, but at this time, we don't believe there's going to be wetland impacts. Uh we know there was also some concerns about wildlife impacts. So, one of my co-workers who's got about 20 years with US Fish and Wildlife Service, uh when he went out, uh about 10 years ago, there's some cutbacks. when he became available, we snatched him up right away. But, uh, Jeff did a a a look into the wildlife impacts and does not believe there would be any, his professional opinion, there would not be any wildlife impacts from the folks going through Heler Nature Center. So, again, that's why we're we're very confident in saying that any impacts, environmental impacts, uh, due to the, uh, people going through Heler Nature Center would be minimal to none at all. Um, and yes, I am qualifying that saying minimum to none at all. I never want to say, "Oh, nothing is ever going to happen because we're all human and stuff happens, but we don't anticipate any issues." Um, there's just a closeup. Um, so when you get to the pond, normally you turn right and there's the overlook. You turn left, there would be uh we put in a gate at the existing fence that's that's

there and people could go around on private property. So, it's just a short trail spur. Um, should not be a big deal. Again, just in summary, following existing trails except for the one additional, no tree removal when properly maintained, the aggregate trails can handle the foot traffic that is expected. Um, Champions Point is offered to make improvements on Heler Nature Center property. again to be worked out specifically what with the park district as that made made that commitment and then also uh Champions Point would help out with some trail maintenance, trash pickup and other stuff. Um again, not just a onetime thing but an ongoing program and thank you very much.

Great. Thank you. control. Okay, thank you. Uh my name is Ron Bose. I'm a partner at SP Freedman Development Visors. Uh we are a Chicago based economic development firm. Um we uh we've been engaged by uh John Cooper um Champions Point LLC to do an economic impact study and really what we're trying to do is jobs, wages and also the visitation impacts that uh happen in general to the larger Highland Park economy. So uh you know it's a 20page documents. I'm going to fly through some of the key uh key highlights of this so we get to the summary points. Um and in general our scope of work was to really estimate a visitation number because that's a key component like how many visits will occur here? Uh how does that lead to spending within the community? Um we also looked at the operations itself of the museum and the operations lead to direct jobs uh and direct wages and there are indirect impacts into the zip code where where which is the boundary which within which we did the analysis. Um and so we do a multiplier impact on estimating the direct and indirect and induced uh jobs and wages and economic activity in the community. So we used also cell phone data placer AI uh which allows you to track actual visits to similar comparable um museums we've looked at and and then we used LCAS which is the economic impact modeling software. Um we did the analysis for zip code 60035 which is mostly Highland Park not exactly court terminus but it it

pretty much covers u most of the Highland Park uh municipal boundary. So that way uh when you do it in that boundary that you ensure that the impacts are uh for that for that particular geographic area. So our first uh work here was to actually get to a reasonable visitation count. And the way we approach this it's there is no precisely comparable museum that we could find because it's a it's a combination of three different ideas. There's an architectural significance of the building itself. Um it's a former celebrity so it's a celebrity location and it's a niche museum of a museum of greatness. Something which you know you don't have those comparables out in the community. So we looked at a variety of different options to get to um something which would be reasonable. So we looked at you know architectural uh destinations uh which are the ones on top in blue uh one and uh two that you have. Uh we had the Cranbook house uh and gardens. We had the Cheekwood Estates which is in Nashville. We had Paisley Park which is Prince's um uh former residence. Uh we had we have Graceland which is much larger but that's an El that's the Elvis Presley location. The Ringling um which is a a very unique museum and residence combination. So these were some of these uh specific uh uh comparables we looked at and we really started to look at what are the visitation numbers there and we tried to get to a floor and a ceiling. We looked at base ticket prices and you know the $75 was sort of at the high end but but it was in the range that we saw. Uh that's the proposed $75 proposed for Champions Point this location and the others are in that range. Um there was the lowest number which was at 64,000. Graceland is at 450,000 plus. So we felt that that the projection we came up with the 180 and 180,000 was reasonable and that leads to

about 300 to 500 uh vis uh visits a day. So we were looking at these comparables based on actual cell phone visits at these locations geoence to those boundaries and getting to u an estimate for this location. Um in terms of uh how you convert that into actual visit into uh dollars and cents. We looked at what share of those visits led to uh a a trip to another business before and after in the same zip code of the locations of these attractions. So that's what this particular analysis was. We came up with 25% as an estimate. Um it is also Champion points uh um uh like u perspective of of trying to work with the local businesses and so that relationship was something which was there. He said that we could offer a free shuttle to go from this location to uh downtown Highland Park. And then the other locations had similar ranges like there were some low uh places but those places which had very low numbers were very primarily residential or industrial or airport-like locations. So the ones which u made sense to us and were in that 20 to 30 plus percentage and we felt 25% was a good good estimate in terms of people who would go to a different business in the community before and after. And then we also went into what types of businesses people go to. Uh we converted that into a dollars and cents u estimate uh a reasonable estimate of how much people spend in different kinds of locations. and our gen our estimate was about 800,000 to 1.4 million in visitor spending in this zip code um uh was was our estimate. And then in terms of operations um there's the activity at the museum itself that's 13.5 to 22.5 million based on the ticket uh volume that was anticipated. We they were anticipating a base price, but then with add-ons, it

comes out to about $125 on average. And you multiply by the number of visits, that's how you get to that 13.5 to 22.5 million. Um, you know, the direct jobs at this location was the 28 uh jobs and the 1.9 uh earnings. This is what's needed to actually operate it at the visitation level that's there. Uh we converted those uh into the LCAST model specifically for that zip code. and and we have like a 1.5 multiplier uh for most of these and that comes out to about you know 18 to 28 million in economic activity you know nearly about 40 jobs and 2.5 to 2.7 million total earnings. Um John referred to the contribution of 5% self- tax effectively on um the revenues on the base uh ticket price revenues for the park district and for the city of Highland Park. And depending on the number of visits that could be point um you know 400,000 to 700,000 roughly in uh in terms of revenues uh for uh the park district and city of Highland Park each on an annual basis. And then so that this uh gets to that for overall summary 180 to 180,000 annual visits. Uh that refers to that 300 to 500 visits a day. Um the direct revenues uh to the park district and the city of Highland Park from the self tax at 5% on base uh revenue collections. And then we get to that 18 to 28 million of overall economic activity within the zip code which is uh in the city of Highland Park about 40 jobs and 2 and a half to uh $2.7 million in wages and benefits. Great.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you,

Mr. Cooper. I think you should probably come back up here so we can ask you some questions. And um again want to thank you for sort of going through all of this effort. Um there's been a lot of iterations of this project and I can't even remember when you started but it's been a while and so thank you very much for what you've been trying to do in terms of problem solving. Uh certainly always love anybody who's going to be supporting Curts Cafe in particular. Um they do amazing work and and we appreciate all of that. I have a bunch of questions and I know my colleagues do as well. So, I'm just going to start firing away and we'll see where we get. Um, and let me be really sure that I understand what we're talking about. We have Champions Point, which is a for-profit entity, right? And then Champions Legacy, which is a not for-profit entity,

correct? Within it, right? Okay. So, so that's the 501c3 is that smaller portion, not the entire entity. and and we know that the majority of museums in this country are charitable and not for-p profofit. So, this is kind of unique in what you're trying to pursue here. I can't seem to figure out how you've gotten from the 13% charitable to the 38% charitable. Can you walk us through the math? I know you said you went to Booth, so I know numbers are your thing. Um, but if I could just better understand where you've gotten from the 13 that's the days to 38.

No problem. So yeah, the 13% is the days. Um, so you know, revenue versus profit. Um, to run something like this takes a lot of employees, marketing, big expense. So let's assume half half is the uh expense ratio. So we bring in $10 of revenue, but $5 went out the door to pay to bring that in. Mhm.

And so when I say 5% of the revenue from the ticket sales is going to the park district, that's akin to 10% of the profit. So 10% of the profit goes to the park district, 10% of the profit goes to Champions Legacy, which is then sewn back into the community in the form of um creating the the curriculum that goes out into the schools, not not just Halen Park, but that'll be broader. Um then the 5% tax, which it's just a tax, there's no revenue uh expense with tax. though, not on profit, right? Yep. So, so that's 25% total and then you add that to the 13 to get to 38. Okay. Thank you. Yep.

Um, you talked about the ticket prices being 75, but then there's this add-on experience for 50. What's that? What's the add-on experience? There'll be other opportunities for people to possibly play on the basketball court. Maybe they want to play on the putting green. Um, maybe there's a a trail walk that goes around the property. So, u and then there's also stuff like, um, you know, t-shirts or just memorabilia that people can buy. I think all that collectively may be in the realm of $50 per person. I see what you're saying. Okay. Um, regarding the champions curriculum, have you talked to any of the local schools about that curriculum? They are waiting to take the queue from city council to engage.

Okay. because you you're promoting you know I would like everybody's gonna have and I guess my question to you is have you talked to like schools obviously have their own curriculum so curriculum we we had a meeting set up and it got cancelled okay um you talk about parking in Banickburn at 2121 walking road have you talked to Banickburn like that's private property isn't it so yeah so the owners of the property would need to go through a zoning process with that property that they would do concurrently with everything that we're doing. They're they're currently working on that. Okay. So, that's not a done deal yet. By

I do have a lease with them provisional on making sure that they get the zoning approval, but it it is a parking lot currently. They're they're turning one of the five buildings into self- storage, which doesn't need parking. Okay. So, they have literally hundreds of extra parking spots there. Do you know if it's okay under Banickburn's current code like to to basically rent out your private parking? I think that's why they need to get their permission for it. Okay. But given that it's parking and they want to use it for parking, they're they're assuring me that there won't be a problem here.

Have you talked to the park district? I mean, obviously you've kind of walked through worked through um I've spent plenty of time in Heler. How how do you guarantee that folks are going to stay on the assigned path? Obviously, they're trying to head to the entrance, but I can also see people kind of going, "Which way am I going?" or "Let's wander this way." And now the neighbors are like, "Who are these people in my backyard?"

We have uh talked to the park district. That's kind of where I started because I realized there's no chance that this goes forward bringing people through the front gate. So, um that was that was my first stop and and and that took some time um to to get there. Uh, and we talked about, you know, the the park district wants people coming out to Heler to enjoy the park. I mean, nature is there, you know, we need to be respectful of it, but it's also there for us to en enjoy nature. And so, we've got this beautiful park. I saw I saw an email talking about how one of the residents never saw more than five or 10 people at the park anytime they've gone there and they they live nearby. And I'm thinking 97 acres and you've never seen more than 10 people there. So, part of what the park district is excited about is an opportunity to bring people out and and enjoy nature. And what Champions Point can do is help uh beautify it, I guess. You know, put some money into the gazebo that's kind of in bad shape at the at the end of the path there. Um so, they first need to understand that we can do this responsibly, that it won't hurt nature before they can even consider it. And that's the phase that we're at right now. That's where uh Hay and Associates just did their study. It's been in front of their board one time and I got feedback and we've already made a set of revisions based on their first feedback.

Okay. Thank you. U this question is I think maybe for corporation council and that is how can we limit use? There are all kinds of promises in terms of operations and how use is going to be limited. Do we have any enforcement around that? If this proceeds and it's a zoning change and it's a special use permit and blah blah blah, is there enforcement by the city if these promised operation limitations aren't being complied with? Like what what can the city do?

The answer is yes, you can um limit use, you can enforce. Um if you were to proceed, I would recommend setting this up as the resolution does as a conditional use. Conditional use is in the nature of a contract between you and the property owner. That conditional use will have a number of conditions that the that the city would impose on use and if they are in breach of those conditions, the city could um enforce as we do everything else. We could impose monetary penalties. We could revoke the special use and pro prohibit the use altogether.

Okay. And in terms of the backs stop program and the financial piece of that, how is that enforced? Is that because that's not land use, that's not a nuisance issue. That's a financial agreement with the neighbors. Is there any enforcement of that component? Yeah, I don't know that that was we we'd have to look I am not familiar with the proposal that Mr. Cooper has made to his neighbors or or the nature of it. um you we'd have to consider if you do desire to go through this process whether you want to include that as a city condition or let the neighbors and Mr. Cooper uh determine that by himself. This is a unique concept. Okay.

But if it's part of the city approved um processes, we can then enforce it. Okay. And then you talked about a maximum of six events in the evening fundraisers for not forprofits. Would you be charging those not forprofits to use the house? No. So be free use for the not for profit, right? It would they would cover the actual cost. So if there's catering, it would pay for the catering, but there would not not a penny of it would come to to me or Champions Point. Okay. Thanks. That's it for my questions. Why don't we start down the row? Are you ready to ask? Um I I just have some comments. Okay. Okay. Why don't you start and then we'll just go. Okay. Perfect. Um whatever you guys want to ask. Thank you. for say

first off uh thank you for all the emails we've received and for people for you guys showing up tonight. I really appreciate that. Um and thank you um to the applicant for your much more detailed uh proposal um that we previously saw including studies and proposed mitigation measures. Um but for me the core issue remains the same. This is still a request to create a new non-residential public attraction use in an R2 residential zoning district in the middle of a residential subdivision. Um, so with that, my first concern is that the proposal does not clearly explain what happens if this concept fails. The resolution clearly addresses what happens if you do not timely fill your applications, but I do not see a clear answer to what happens later if the museum is approved and then does not succeed. Second, even with the proposed shuttle system, fencing security and operating restrictions, this remains a museum and attraction use projected to bring 3 to 500 visitors per day into a residential area. The very need for all these mitigation measures confirms that this would change the residential environment that surrounds homeowners that have long enjoyed and expected their homes asis and quiet and peaceful location. Third, I'm not persuaded that the projected economic benefits to Highland Park are certain. The economic study study uses the zip code 6035 as a proxy for the city and estimates that some visitors may spend money in Highland Park, but these are assumptions, not guarantees, especially given that the parking is proposed to be in Banickburn and the site is not near our downtown commercial core. And finally, I remain concerned about this precedent. This is not just a just a oneoffsite decision. The city is being asked to initiate a zoning code text amendment to allow a new use in R2. Even

if that amendment is drafted narrowly once we begin creating exceptions for this kind of attraction use in a residential district, it becomes harder to say this issue starts and ends here. So, while I appreciate the effort that has gone into the revised proposal, I do not believe that this proposal resolves the fundamental land use concerns raised by placing this type of use in this location.

Thanks. Thank you. OH, so as you heard at the beginning, no applause, please, no cheering, no booing, no nothing because we just want to get through people's questions and comments and then we want to have enough time to hear from several of you. So, thank you for agreeing to be polite. Uh, Council Member Tapia.

Yeah. A few clarifying questions and then I'll I'll u give my point of view. Uh you talked about the path being changed. Can you show where the path uh was originally? And as you do that, the proposed new path, what what is the layout of homes against a new proposal?

Okay, perfect. So the original path uh that was contemplated I can point here seven. Oh, okay. Okay. So the original path that um we looked at which is the most direct sorry the most direct to the property would have been this blue path leading to the gray path leading back to the blue path and then splitting off here to come into what would be the northwest corner of the property. You can see these are the neighbors homes right here. So this is the gentleman with the swimming pool. He said, "Hey, this comes pretty close to my pool." I'm like, "Yeah, that's not good." So, we ran it up here to get way further away from his property. Here's another house here. The old path would have been, I think, 325 ft. The new path now 4 35 ft. Um, then the next path we proposed was this, cuz it's a little more direct, this red one, but we found out it went through the prairie and that that could involve, you know, widening the path and losing a little bit of the prairie. I said, "Well, this we don't need to do that. Let's just take it on a regular path. These people have already committed to taking a walk. They can walk an extra couple hundred feet. Um, so the current path is actually the blue one. Then it varies up here and then it comes around here and then it comes onto my property

and the and the houses along the way there. No, the houses are all um over here. This is the neighborhood over here. So there's a couple houses. Yeah, this is train tracks. This is business. And then you got the 97 acres here. All right. So, have you calculated what the walking um time is? 57 miles and you know, everybody walks at a different speed. It's probably about a 15-minute walk for people. Okay. And then in terms of uh different weather conditions because it's all outdoors, you you're trying to be open you pretty much every day. So, this is very variable weather all times of year. What do you think about that? I think it's not going to do so great during the winter and it probably going to do pretty pretty good during the summer. All right. And then what kind of path of covering would that be? like surface.

Uh, it's an 8 foot aggregate. I guess I I'd probably for that one. It's It's the one that's there already. It's It's the path that's there. It's like a rock path. It's kind of dirt and gravel, right? Aggregate is more rock or limestone. Yeah. Okay. All right. And then your estimate of 300 to 500 p people a day. Where did that come from? So that that's I would love to have the economic guy because it's not my estimate, it was their estimate. So if uh Randep wants to explain that one, the estimate 300 to 500 people a day, if you can explain how you came to that.

Yeah. Um we looked at the comparables and specific visitation in those locations and um uh and there was a range. It was a low end which was 67,000 or so and it was a high end. The way we looked at and the high end was like over 400,000. Most of these locations have a preserve around it and have like other recreational elements. So like there parts of larger campuses. Um so the idea of people walking and enjoying is sort of built into those other locations. Um the way we also approach it that there are three aspects to this. There's the architectural uh enthusiast. There is the idea of a celebrity location um and then there is the idea of a unique museum which is yet you know like it has to be proven up in terms of its success but those were three different unique components coming together at this location. When we looked at the others if you see our lowest number was 67, the highest one was 450. We picked a number kind of in between because it had attributes of all of those three. Um you know it's an estimate. Uh this is not yet a proven concept. So, but that's how we arrived at that.

In order to pull that off, it would require pretty extensive national even international marketing.

Um, it's unclear about that. You know, like for example, Graceland has pretty extensive marketing, but its numbers are off the charts. I suspect that um, you know, uh, like like there are the some of these other locations are not very well marketed. we actually have to search them out to find unique locations. So, it's not something that um is necessarily contingent on major like international marketing that I can I'm aware of. I'm not entirely sure about um you know the marketing campaign here. Uh but many of the comparables you either knew about the person or you you know like it's or or you knew about the location in some way and you would attend there. Yeah.

Okay. All right. Well, I a couple more comments questions. Sure. Um, you know, so you know, there were several questions that were asked throughout this process, uh, especially the last time you were here. And so, you know, obviously you've gone through and kind of checked check the boxes on different things and done extensive work and all that. Uh but the concerns that I I'll speak for myself that I expressed was you know the neighbors and you know and safety, security, distance, all those things was really about the neighbors. Sure. How have the neighbors responded to you so far to your checklist of uh mitigation efforts here? Not favorably.

Okay. So um so my point of view is comes down to that. Uh, I mean, I love the idea. I mean, how thoughtful it is, the the greatness, inspiration. I mean, that it's fantastic. There's nothing that I would poke holes at the concept. Um, I mean, wanting to have something like that in Highland Park, you know, as a crown jewel, no question. Um, you know, it's a unique property, no question. But in the end, it's in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I mean, there like, you know, I just can't get past that. and um and you know legislation and zoning uh rules are such to maintain the nature of different uh neighborhoods but there's exception uh pro procedures because unexpected things can come up and you know uh the PDC and and us you know we kind of wrestle with that because sometimes you go wow that's a unique opportunity but for for for to really dis bring a disruption like this to this neighborhood for individuals who have invested either one year or 20, 30, 40 years in it with an assumption that the neighborhood is of a certain nature and quality and and experience. For me, it would it would have to entail a significant number of that neighborhood to say yes, we want this change because change does happen. But what I have seen over and over again is that the neighborhood pretty much almost to the person is not supportive of this. And so in the end, I cannot sort of move myself off that. As much as I love the idea, but if if this is a disruption to a neighborhood, that would require a significant support of the neighborhood in my opinion for me to be able to be supportive of it. So I love the idea. I I appreciate all the extra effort. You

know, I you did a lot and you really did listen at least to the concerns and there's some really innovative careful consideration. But in the end, it's did you convince the neighborhood despite all those arguments, all that work, all that effort, all that, let's call it even generosity. And the answer is still no. And that's the part I just can't get past. Thank you, Council Member Bloomberg. So, I don't really have any questions and my consideration of this issue is simply whether we should engage in a zoning in a text amendment to the B2 zoning district.

Um, R2,

I'm sorry, R2. The proposal is to start a com a commercial use in a residential district. And looking at all of the conditional and permitted uses in all of our residential districts, there is no conditional or permitted commercial use as a primary use. The closest we come to is in one of the mixed use in the mixeduse districts is an allowance of uh nursing home care which again is principally residential. People are housed there. This would be such a veering off of our city and public property policy that I I couldn't do it. This is a country home district with a minimum lot size of 80,000 square ft. There's not a single use in this zone permitted or conditional that is purely or primarily commercial. There's not a single use in this zone permitted or conditional that is anything other than residential. There are no commercial activities allowed either as a permitted or conditional use in any residential district in Highland Park. If this were a transitional district, if there was some existing movement towards a transition, I might accept accept some idea along those lines. But this district is defined by large quiet properties. It's defined by the presence of Heler Nature Center and commercial use of any kind, yours or somebody else's, is inconsistent with that. And for that reason alone, I you you've made a very interesting presentation. But once we make that zoning text amendment, there are a variety of other people that

may be waiting out there to do all kinds of commercial things in this district and it's not compatible with that kind of use. Thank you, Council Member Little.

So, I also want to commend you on uh a lot of work and a very I think visionary kind of project. I would love to see a museum. I would love to see another educational center and a draw in this community because I think it's something we sorely need and and we have a treasure and I'm not sure if this is the treasure but I I like the approach. My background is more from the education perspective and the letter we received a lot of letters and I have to really reassure people here that this council really did read every letter and my quandry is is really mixed because I live um walking distance from our vignia festival and there's a lot of traffic and there's a lot of crowds but I bought my home knowing that I was going going to be in that predicament and the people here and I'm zoned the same way as this area is and the people here did not count on that and so that's one issue I have but then I look again and I say wait a minute I I love Helen Nature Center I love the idea of bringing this to our children to really using it um and the fact that you really did try and you listen to us you have this back access. You try to keep it away from the street. But I still come down to the fact that I have every neighbor writing a letter saying they don't want this in their community. This isn't what they bet on when they bought their house and lived here. And then I have educators who were wonderful and and leaders of charitable groups who are saying this could really bring a lot of greatness to Highland Park and to our children. And I'm going back and forth. And then again, we come up with the fact that I I

mean, I drove my car. I gawkked at the number on the gate today. And then I went and I parked at Heler and I spent a good hour and a half cuz I walked every path to look at distance and everything. And you really pulled it back as far as you possibly could. And there were five people in part the entire hour and a half that I was there. And I really would like to see additional usage and I would like to see the fact that this would be melding all of that stuff, but unfortunately I I really I do have a question for council. Um this is a zoning text amendment and and Mr. Cooper came to us because of that. Why is this not or can this not be considered as a map amendment where it it goes through PDC? Because frankly PDC, our plan and design commission, they're really the experts who dive into does this fit in a neighborhood? Does this meet the 30 standards? While we are the body that ultimately makes the decision, that's not our role here tonight. we're actually doing in a way we're we're stopping PDC from doing their job. And one of the things I wanted to do was to send this to the PDC and let them look at this as a neighborhood in general. But frankly, I I see the work you've put into this and if this isn't going to go anywhere, why would I make you go through a whole another step? And if the neighbors aren't happy with this and that's going to kill it over at PDC, too, why would I make you go into another step? So, one of my questions is if this had been gone through the process of a map text amendment or map amendment where it would go straight to PDC rather than to us, is that a way they could have approached this project

or that wouldn't Well, the answer to your question is yes. They would have then been I I think asking for something that is perhaps more uh a of greater significance. they would be asking for a change of a piece of property from R2 to a commercial to an actual commercial zoning district. They would have been able to make that request because individuals can request the city go through the process to change the map for their particular piece of property. Um, but I want to make sure that you understand what they're asking is to go to the plan commission. right? They're they're just making a stop here with you as the gatekeeper.

Um so if if it is that you want to send it to the plan commission, you have the legislative discretion to do that. Um I would have been very concerned if they would have come um and and asked for a map amendment to put a commercial uh zoning district within um that residential area. But the answer the direct answer to the question is yes, they had that right. Yeah. I just wanted to understand legally whether this is the appropriate channel or whether they were just going a different way. I do think this is more appropriate, but I just wanted to make sure I understood it.

Okay. Um, so in any event, I I want to really thank you for what you've been doing. I want to hear what the rest of my council members and the people here have to say tonight before I make my final decision. But, um, I I really thank you for bringing forward a kind this is the kind of vibrancy we're looking for in our community. I'm just not sure this is the right place for it. Thank you, Council Member Ross.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, I added something in here based on uh Council Member Tapia's point about the comparables. Um, the ones you've shared all have famous folks too at the center of them, but their states uh their states actively support these museums. In the case of this one, the person who made the site famous is not participating and has has sued places that have used their name. Um, I appreciate that uh the Champions Point team put their time and money into this proposal since the last city council discussion and I know uh you are very passionate about your project and council hears from you that you are trying to help community as you make a profit and I I wanted to be as fair and open-minded as possible to an entrepreneur with new ideas which is uh you know why I hoped you would you know use this additional time to develop clear details about the museum and curriculum. Um, but I I read your proposal in the packet and have so many reservations uh with honestly most of the points but I'll limit it to a few. Uh, most importantly your property as my colleagues have mentioned your property is in a neighborhood that is united in opposition to changing the zoning to create a large museum in their midst. I served uh as liaison to the zoning board of appeals and now I'm leazison to plan and design commission. uh a fundamental guiding principle for the commissions uh in the city and the city itself is to respect the feelings of neighbors and uh so I think that is a a really important piece um I of the whole thing uh further that I concerned this would set a precedent for different large homes here to become an organization that attracts large number of visitors to other residential areas. Um, I was, like I said, I was hoping you'd create detailed specifics around the museum and curriculum that might make it so compelling that it would be worth

exploring more that you'd offer a solution that made neighbors feel a lot better, but so far that is not the case. And um, and I do want to mention you propose a 7 p.m. closing time at peak season. Uh, this is not early for Highland Park. Neither is 5:00 p.m. Even the arts center of Highland Park in our central business district, the closest comparison to a museum in Highland Park closes at 4 p.m. Uh, and I I guess I want to address one other thing. Just going by your proposal, you propose first of its kind property protection as as protection from potential property devaluation that you say might cause be caused by having a museum in the neighborhood offering 10% more than a third party appraisal. However, appraisers often undervalue properties, so I worry that homeowners wind up on the short end of that stick. Um, regarding creating a museum and curriculum, I've served on two museum boards and have served both school districts here, including as an elected school board member in district 112. What I've seen is um it takes many many years and much experience from really all degreed professionals to create museum exhibitions in school curriculums and our school system struggle to you know push to to get essential curriculum into the school day. Um some students skip lunch to do that and in general field trips are rare. I I deeply appreciate all the people who serve the Chicago land community in a lot of different capacities whose letters are in the public posted publicly posted packet as well as all the Highland Park residents who took the time to write to the city. Um but our first obligation as elected officials is to serve an answer to our residents here in Highland Park. So, that's where I land on that that uh I um uh as I said at the beginning that the the the neighborhood is uh as was said previously, the the neighborhood you you you haven't convinced the neighborhood, you know, that that this is a good idea and and and and so you

haven't convinced me either. I'm sorry to say. Um you know, because I know you went through a lot.

Thank you, Council Member Ross. Council member Center. I think uh council member litter encapsulated my thoughts on this in a really meaningful way. There are some real conflicting forces here that make it a challenging matter for us to think through. Um Mr. Cooper, I think the city should be really grateful for you for bringing this idea to our community. Um, I think it's really important for us as a comm as a council, as a city at large to think creatively about ways to provide vibrancy and economic development across all parts of Hannah Park. You know, you may recall that when you first came in December, I was a little bit of the minority of kind of wanting to see this continue down the path and to see what it could potentially become. And I still believe the vision here is really unique and admirable. At the same time, I can't ignore the extent of the opposition we've heard from the neighbors surrounding the property, as we've heard from some of my colleagues up here. You know, Council Member Little pointed out that, you know, she lives near Ravenia. We've got other uniquely situated properties with hight traffic areas, Walters Field, train stations, but those are all pre-existing conditions where residents who brought homes near them knew what they were getting into, knew what was already there. And the neighbors near your property purchased their homes with a reasonable expectation of quiet enjoyment under the premise that it was it was and wouldn't remain strictly a residential area. Um, and certainly what we're being asked to consider tonight is a significant change in that. Um, and one that in the eyes of your direct neighbors would have a, you know, potential material impact, at least in their minds, on the quality of their life. Um, with that said, you know, let me ask just a couple of clarifying questions because I think it's our job as a council to come here with an open mind and not pre-ordain remarks and that ignore what you presented to us tonight,

which I think were was exceptional and clearly responsive to the questions that you heard from not only us but but the neighbors uh from the last meeting. Uh, you talk about, you know, the backs stop of home values. Is that something that would be done by Champions Point LLC by a personal guarantee by you? Like where where does that exist? Yeah. I mean, conceptually, there's a lot of different ways we could do it. There could be an insurance policy. Champions Point could do it. I could personally do it. Um there's a lot of ways.

Yeah. Okay. Um in your presentation, you talked about, you know, not trying to drive excess capacity, you know, with significant volumes. Do you have uh outside investors that you have a you know prep you have to hit? Do you have debt covenants you have to hit? No. Okay. Um from an economic impact perspective, uh I challenge a little bit of the assumptions given the geographic location of this asset being so close to Banickburn, Deerfield, and Highwood versus Central Highland Park. And so the assumptions used for some of those other assets, not looking at Google Maps for all of them, but I I would I would surmise that they're more centrally located to their respective CBDs. And so the lift you're getting from those visitors are probably more than we're going to get as a city to to this for this asset.

Yeah, I think it's a little bit of a chicken and an egg, right? So you need people to come to to to have stuff to do in town, but then you need the stuff in town and you need the people, right? So if you if you approach it where you're only going to try to get one at a time, you're never going to get either either one real successful. Sure. Yeah. Appreciate that. And then, you know, you've heard general positive support for the idea, right? I think the location is certainly a challenge as we're as we're learning. Would you consider this project in a different asset within Highland Park? If it loses the unique location, then I might as well put it in downtown Chicago where there's more people. So, interesting. We could debate that.

Okay. Thanks for Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Great. Thanks, Council Member Center. Um, you raised a couple of issues that I also wanted to raise. The assumption that people are going to park in Banickburn and then drive to downtown Highland Park. I think it's more of a benefit possibly to Panicburn or to Deerfield given the proximity to what 2121 Walking is. Um, and I was going to raise that question as well. you know, is there another location? We could certainly help you site and bring the necessary and appropriate elements. Having been in that house, I know there is plenty that could be located if you really are strongly dedicated to not only seeing the elements, but also to the Champions Legacy. There's a way to do it and we'd be happy to talk to you about reciting it. Um, often when we're looking at changing land use, we talk about, is this in keeping with the character of the neighborhood? And I think you've heard from my colleagues, there's a concern that this is not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. We are loathed to spot zone. We don't like to take a particular parcel and change its zoning uh to make it move forward. And I think as um Council Member Buckman mentioned, this sets a bad precedent because there are plenty of other interesting spots that could potentially become something commercial in the middle of a residential neighborhood. And to echo my colleagues, I have concerns about probably for a lot of people who live in the neighborhood their greatest asset suddenly being, for lack of a better phrase, degraded by virtue of a commercial enterprise being next door. That being said, again, I want to thank you as I did at the outset because I know this is a passionate thing that you're trying to move forward and we love the elements behind it. We love the charitable support. We love the fact that you're trying to move forward a curriculum that really would be beneficial to kids, not just in Highland Park, but in the region and in particular giving underserved kids the opportunity to be that proximate to somebody who really has done amazing things with their life. So, there's great elements behind this. Um, but I

agree with my colleagues that I just think it's in the wrong location. Um, that being said, neighbors have come out this evening. I'm sure there are also people who want to speak on your behalf. So, I'm going to ask at 9:45 that we take a half an hour and hear from a few people, not everybody because we're not going to stay here till 2 in the morning. Um, I'm going to ask that your comments be limited to three minutes and we're happy to hear pros. We're happy to hear cons, but I do want the public to have an opportunity to share your point of view. So, if people your lawyer has a question,

well, Madam Mayor, it's more of a comment if if that is all right. Thank you. Um, for the record, my name is Braden Lord. I'm an attorney with the law firm of Taft, Statenius, and Hollister in Chicago. we represent uh the not the applicant but the the property owner in this case Champions Point LLC and we we simply would like to clarify that the the matter that we're seeking approval of this evening is not approval of John's concept as is currently proposed. It's a It's a resolution that would authorize the city and staff to begin thinking through in in earnest and possibly drafting a zoning text amendment that could would allow a use like this. it in in our view it would be the the beginning of a more earnest phase of the public process that would of course include as we understand it a hearing before the PDC perhaps uh the additional time before this body and for John an additional opportunity to go back possibly to the neighbors and continue to tweak the concept in concert with the zoning text amendment process. Um, as we understand it, the authorization would that is before you tonight would only allow for a new use that would be a conditional use and require uh plan development approval. In that case, there would be extensive opportunity to attach specific conditions to what Mr. Cooper would ultimately pursue that would make it as uh as compatible as possible with the neighborhood. Um in in addition our our view is that the use would be fundamentally institutional and and really cultural and historical in nature not a a commercial use. In in our view there are lots of ways that uh the text amendment could be drafted. Many of them could be very restrictive with regards to what type of use is being created and approved and where it is being located. Of course the property we're talking about is very special in nature. That's where Mr. Cooper feels

the concept is viable, but in in our view, this resolution is not an endorsement of his uh of the proposal tonight. It is it is merely allowing an an earnest step towards drafting what maybe could be possible and allowing our team to further engage the community and the and the city.

Appreciate it. I remember you as a law student. Well done, zealous advocate. Okay. Um so with that, I'd like to hear from the public. Um if you could please line up along the wall. Here's how it works. Line up along that wall and 10 of you will be able to speak unless you speak less than three minutes. So, we're going to cut this off at 10:15. Please start and state your name for the record.

My name is Kevin Cullithther. Uh, I am a resident of Highland Park and a former chair of the zoning board of appeals. Thank you, uh, madame mayor, for the opportunity to speak here this evening. I want to thank Mr. Cooper for an interesting proposal that he has put forth to the the community. Uh it is certainly an innovative idea for a property that has sat vacant for since I moved here in 2011. I don't think anyone has inhabited the building. Um but I don't believe we are at a point yet for this to move to the zoning board of appeals. I believe there are way too many questions uh to be answered specifically from the other governmental bodies. I don't know if there's a way for um the council to have a joint meeting with the park district board, the two school district boards, the elected regional school superintendent, uh and all the other governmental bodies who have been touted by the applicant but we haven't heard from. Uh so first I would say it's I believe it's too early but I also as I have done previously I want to thank you this evening for listening to your constituents. I think the the overwhelming uh input you've received that you've read them you've listened to them and I don't believe it's ready to time to move this to the zoning board of appeals. It may me need need more time to come to fruition and to be ripe. This issue isn't ripe yet.

Great. So, thank you. And it's the PDC, not the ZBA, but we appreciate the tenor of your comments. Thank you. Welcome. Please state your name for the record.

Um, hello everyone. Uh, my name is Alex Ulionov. I'm one of the residents that, um, resides in Architecture Point. Um uh you remember me from last time. Um so a number of thoughtful points have already been raised by neighbors uh through live testimony and written submissions and we won't repeat them here again. Um but we do just want to reiterate that on behalf of the entire architecture point community, we're still very much opposed to the commercialization of 2700 point Lane. Um that said, we do want to address why we're here. Um today uh again I think several council members expressed interest in hearing more information and in continuing the discussion and uh the reasoning seemed to center around two themes. First that this property is somehow unique and may offer community benefits and the second that it's worth exploring whether there's a path forward that could work for everyone. Uh so let us speak directly to both on the idea that this property is a unique gem. were special and we've heard it even mentioned today um several times. Um we've heard comparisons to Ravenia Festival and suggestions that it could serve as a community asset. Uh but the reality is much simpler. There's nothing inherently unique about this property itself. Um its perceived specialness is based entirely on who used to live there, Michael Jordan, and not anything the property actually is today. uh that matters because there's not in any way uh because this is not in any way an official museum. Uh there's no affiliation, no endorsement or legal right to use Michael Jordan's name, likeness, or intellectual property in any commercial way. Uh so while the proposal avoids saying that explicitly, it's clear that this is what it depends on. Uh we all we've all heard it even in prior council discussions, the name

Michael Jordan came up repeatedly. This is the entire premise. And without that association, what's left is simply a large outdated home with no authenticated memorabilia, no curated ex exhibits, no legitimate foundation for a public attraction. Uh so the idea that this is some kind of an inherent community asset just doesn't hold up. But beyond that, there's a bigger issue. If we allow this, uh we're no longer making zoning decisions based on land use. We're making them based on who used to live in a house. And that's the line that should not be crossed because if that becomes the standard, then any home associated with a public figure could seek commercial conversion. At that point, residential zoning stops meaning what it's supposed to mean. And there's nothing about this property physically, structurally, or legally that requires or justifies its commercial use.

Thank you.

Uh my name is Michael Fitis. I'm continuing the same conversation. I did want to say one thing before I go on, and that is that the park district has not approved this uh in any way. They had one meeting and it has not been approved. Uh the second point though we want to make is the idea that we should continue exploring whether there is a path forward. We understand the instinct but respectfully that assumes there's a middle ground. There isn't. No amount of conditions, restrictions or adjustments will change the fundamental real reality. This is a commercial use being proposed in a quiet residential culde-sac neighborhood. And I think it's important to just say this plainly. No one in this room or anywhere else for that matter would accept this next to their own homes. Not one person. And that's really the clear clearest and cleanest test. And despite that, despite this being, in our view a bridge too far, we have already spent an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and resources fighting it. We've shown up for meetings. We've written letters. We've organized as a neighborhood. Many of us have incurred real financial costs, including legal expenses. And beyond that, there's been a real impact for us. ongoing uncertainty, stress, a lot of stress in our families. And it even affects already our property values and our marketability as this has become a very public issue. And now the idea of continuing this process and sending it through additional commissions, studies, and hearings means extending that burden even further, not just for us as residents, but for the city itself. At some point, the question becomes, what issue are we trying to solve? Because the reality is there's no version of this proposal that aligns with the character of the neighborhood or that has the support of the people who actually live there. And importantly, no

one who's come out in support of this and made tonight bears the consequences of it. So, we'll close with this. This proposal is not grounded in sound zoning principles. It relies on a tenuous and legally questionable association with a former owner and it asks an entire neighborhood to absorb the impact of a commercial use that simply does not belong there. We respectfully urge the council to bring this to a close and provide finality and relief to the residents who've already invested so much just to preserve what should be a basic expectation, a quiet residential neighborhood. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Next speaker.

Good evening. I'm Paula Surowan and I live in the culdeacare. So I have a few things to say. I am here to speak regarding the proposed zoning change from our two residential to commercial for the former Michael Jordan property. I come before you today out of deep respect for Highlander Park's longstanding commitment to thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and the protection of its residential neighbor neighborhoods. It's this is a lack of museum substance and qualification. The applicant seeks to transform this quiet residential partial into a commercial attraction he calls the Museum of Greatness. Yet, this proposed museum will contain no artifacts, no memorabilia, no trophies, no personal property, and no educational materials connected to Michael Jordan or any other historical figure. The owner has no museum experience, no background in education. Despite the this lack of substance, the applicant intends to draw 100,000 to 180,000 paying visitors per year into a neighborhood intentionally zone for low density residential living. The impact on the Heler Nature Center. To accommodate this volume, visitors would be based busted, excuse me, through the Heler Nature Center entrance and required to walk a half a mile through a protected natural area to reach the property line. This plan is not only impractical, it is fundamentally destructive to the integrity of the Heler Nature Center. Heler is a sanctuary for wildlife, a place of quiet recreation, and a cherished community

resource. It is not a transportation corridor. Turning the trails into a commercial access route would inter introduce increased noise and disruption, soil erosion and trail degradation, litter and waste, disturbance to wildlife habitat, a diminished experience for residents and visitors who rely on Heler for peace and nature. The very qualities that make Heler valuable, its serenity, its biodiversity, its natural beauty would be compromised. And this to me is really one of the most important things is the safety and traffic concerns in the culde-sac. The proposal calls for 40 employees to be transported in and out of a small culde-sac at the front of the property four times a day along with caterers, suppliers, landscapers, and other service vehicles, including a night cleaning crew. The culde-sac is a home to two other residents.

Thank you. Thank you so much. I have some of these. Okay, start from here. Please state your name for the record. Nina Heler.

Okay, thank you. This culde-sac is home to only two other residences. One with young children. It was never designed to handle commercial traffic. Introducing this level of activity would create significant safety risks for children. Congestion and noise in a quiet residential street. Constant service vehicle activity day and night. a complete disruption of the neighborhood's character. This is not a minor adjustment to zoning. It is dramatic shift that would fundamentally alter the safety, livability, and tranquility of the surrounding area. Impact on the desiraability of living in Highland Park. Highland Park has long been admired for its thoughtful planning, its protected natural spac spaces, and its quiet, stable residential neighborhoods. These qualities are central to why people choose to live here. Allowing a comm community allowing a commercial attraction of this scale would undermine the very attributes that make Highland Park desirable. Residents expect their neighborhoods to remain safe, predictable, and protected from commercial encroachment. Instead, this proposal would bring heavy tra traffic from buses, shuttles, and service vehicles, noise and congestion in the family oriented culde-sac, pedestrian safety risk, environmental degradation to the Heler Nature Center, a predicament, I'm sorry, a pre a precedent that could open the door to future commercial uses in other residential zones. When residents can no longer trust that residential neighborhoods will remain residential, the appeal of living in those neighborhoods diminishes. Over time, this can affect property values, community cohesion, and the reputation of Highland Park that has been built in place where families can thrive in a peaceful, wellplanned environment. Conclusion. For all these reasons, the environmental harm, the safety risks, and the incompatibility with residential

zoning, and a broader threat to Highland Park's desiraability, I ask the council to deny the request for resoning. Preserving the safety, stability, and environmental integrity of this neighborhood is not just a local concern. It is essential to maintaining the long-term vi vitality and character of Highland Park itself.

Great. Thank you so much. Um, we have 15 minutes left. How many of you are opposed to moving forward? And some of And how many of you are in No, no, no. In line. In line. And how many of you are in favor? Okay. So, I want to hear from both sides. So, if you could come forward um and continue and we'll see how far we can get by 10:15. Thank you. Next up. Thank you. What's your name? Yep. Uh Boris Kolioski.

Good evening. My name is Boris Klayski. I um grew up on these streets, uh played in these parks, went to school here. Today I'm raising my own kids in Highland Park. Um I'm a small business owner just down the road in Deerfield. Um this community has been a backdrop of my entire life, which is why I'm standing here tonight. Um I'm wholeheartedly in support of Champions Point. Um as a young dad, what excites me most is is what this means for my kids uh and every other kid in the city. Uh free field trips to every Highland Park for every Highland Park student. free admission for all the HP High P Highland Park residents in the first year, 48 days a year of donated programming for youth. A lot of things that John talked about. Um, a curriculum based around excellence and character piloted right here in Lake County. Um, these aren't just nice perks. They're the kind of opportunities that stick with a kid. Um, the kind you look back on years later and realize, you know, this is who shaped who you become. Um, I've also watched Highland Parks Downtown long enough to know that what it's capable of and I believe we haven't yet reached our ceiling. Uh take a walk through downtown Watt, Libertyville, and the other um stuff around here on a Friday evening. You'll see sidewalks that are buzzling uh that are buzzing. Uh the restaurants are full. Um there's a real sense of energy and community life. Uh Hen Park has every ingredient to be that arguably more so than either of them. Um what we've sometimes lacked is a kind of anchor uh that gives people reason to come from outside our zip code and and stay a while and discover everything we have to offer. Um, Champions Point could be exactly that anchor. Um, with 108,000 to 180,000 visitors projected, uh, 500 people a day, visitors a day, um, our downtown restaurants, shops, businesses would feel an impact in real and and lasting way. Um, as a business owner, I can tell you that that kind of consistent year-round destination traffic is genuinely rare. Um, it's a difference between a downtown that survives and and one that truly thrives. Um, I know there

are a lot of neighbors with concerns and I respect that. Um, I think the proposal comes with with real enforceable protections. Um, just to name a few, we talked about, you know, shutter uh, shuttle only transportation, private fencing, noise controls. um you know and clearly you know Champions Point um and John have done the work the initial work to show um how to meet those you know and uh meet those requests and how to meet those concerns and how to mitigate them and and I think the point of the meeting tonight um it's at least to allow you know the planning commission to review this um and really put some more effort into figuring out some of the solutions to these to these questions because the idea is real, right? Um Highland Park has always been a special place. Um and I think with Champions Point, it could become that kind of destination that, you know, other Northshore communities will look at and wish they had, right? And um I don't want this opportunity to pass us by. Um like I said, I think there's a lot of potential here and, you know, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, we look back on this and and and regret that this could have been a really a key point, a key anchor to to our community.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thanks. Good evening, council. My name is Roxanna Hari and I'm a resident of Architecture Point where I reside with my husband Cameron and our two elementary school-aged children. I stand before you tonight in unequivocal opposition to the proposed zoning change for 2700 Point Lane. This is not a minor request. It is a direct affront to the integrity of the city's zoning code. Zoning laws are not flexible suggestions. They are codified commitments to residents. They are foundation on which people make some of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of their lives. Where to raise their families, where their children will grow up, and what kind of environment they can rely on. What is being proposed and more importantly what is being seriously considered is a betrayal of the zoning code and a betrayal of every resident who relies on it. Families select their neighborhood because it is residential, because it is stable, because it is a place where children can safely play outside, ride their bikes, and walk through their neighborhood without the pressures and risks that come with commercial activity. You are now being asked to change that. And as homeowners in architecture point, we are being told without our consent that we must absorb the consequences, adapt our lives, and accept a very fundamentally different environment than the one we financially and emotionally invested into and were promised. Even according to Mr. C Mr. Cooper's own proposal here. Introducing commercial use into this space will indeed increase traffic congestion, create property market value disruption, risks to safety, and environmental unpredictability. Your vote will alter how safe parents feel about letting their children be outside. It will irrevocably change the

character of a neighborhood chosen with intention and care. If this council moves forward with this, you're sending a very clear message that the rules do not apply equally and that they can be changed when it is convenient for a particular project or a particular individual. That is not planning. That is not fairness and that is a betrayal of public trust. Even considering this proposal tells residents that the protections they believed in are conditional. That precedent should concern every single person in this city. This is bigger than one development. This is about whether residents can entrust you to uphold the residents that you serve. Please do not betray that trust. Please do what you know is right. Uphold the existing zoning code. Protect the families who chose this neighborhood in good faith. As a long-term resident who contributes to the fabric of this community daily and someone who truly loves this town very very deeply, I ask respectfully that you please reject this proposal. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, sorry. That's okay. We can hear you.

Good evening. My name is Jane Feinstein. I'm a Highland Park resident and a small business owner of a local preschool in a neighboring town. I'm also a mother of two children aged 10 and 11. I grew up in Buffalo Grove and while it's where I lived, my family was always coming to Highland Park. I remember asking my parents to take us here. It was the place people talked about. 30 years ago, names like Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, along with many other professional athletes called this area home. It wasn't just a place to live, it was a place people wanted to visit. That prestige brought energy and it drove real positive foot traffic into our downtown. Over the last 20 years, I've seen it change. I've seen for rent signs that don't go away. I've seen small businesses open their doors with excitement only to close just a few months later because there aren't enough customers to sustain them. It's not a reflection of a lack of effort. It's a reflection of a lack of consistent foot traffic. When you look at the communities around us, there is a very clear pattern. In Glen View, the Cole Children's Museum brings in families from all over the Chicagoland area. It's not just a local amenity. It's a destination. Through my preschool, I've actually rented out the entire museum for our families, children, and teachers. And every year, I hear from parents and teachers who tell me they've never been there and are so excited to bring their families back there. That's exactly what a destination does. It brings people in and keeps them coming back. In Wat, the Bahigh Temple draws visitors in. In Gleno, the Botanic Gardens brings over a million visitors each year. In Lake Forest, places like Market Square, institutions like Lake Forest College, and even the presence of the Bears training facility, all contribute to a strong sense of identity and draw. Each of these communities has intentional choices to create reasons for people to visit. Highland Park has Ravena, and it's an incredible asset, but it's also seasonal. For a few months, it brings energy, but for the majority of the year, that level of activity isn't there. So, my question is, what do we do for the other nine

months? This project is an opportunity to answer that question, not just with another building, but with a destination. A place that brings people here again. A place that supports our small businesses. As a parent, I also see the educational value this can bring. This isn't just for our children. It's something that could attract families and visitors from all over the Chicagoland area, creating a meaningful, engaging experience for kids and adults. I'd also like to add that I've known John for over 15 years. He is a man of deep faith who truly cares about the community and it's reflected in this project. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker.

Good evening, M. Mayor and the city council. My name is Cameron Hari and I reside in Architecture Point with my wife and two young sons. By now, you have clearly been barged with innumerable detrimental effects and impacts that approving this this text amendment would have on Highland Park. And any one of these would be enough to vote no, let alone the multiplier effect of them altogether. Please indulge me as I utilize my short time here to state out loud and with emphasis just a few stark fundamentals. Firstly, there is no proposal for a financial backs stop for the property value degradation. There is none. Mr. Cooper told you that here today. There is none. And there uh there should be no further justification for the city council to engage in a in a real estate deal between many residents, many homeowners, and future potential uh assets. Next, there is not a single person in this chamber who would rationally and sensibly vote yes for this proposal if the proposal was in their own neighborhood and in their own backyard. My statement holds true even for the applicant himself who has previously admitted this to us on personal on a personal level. In order to make a specialized exception to the zoning code for the purpose of this particular proposal, you would have to suspend any rational thought to conclude that this proposal for a museum of introspection or any other uh any over other moniker that it's given fills some nebulous and illdefined unmet need of this community which is a prerequisite for changing the zoning code. There is no unmet need here. You must also be convinced that the current R2 zoning code of Highland Park is somehow flawed and that this new proposal is somehow in line with the stated purpose and objectives of the current zoning ordinance which is designed to, and I quote, from the city's own ordinances to protect the public health, safety, morals, comfort, and general welfare of

the people. That's the city's own ordinance. After you vote today, those in this chamber will all return to a home that is largely unaffected by your decision. But your vote will set in stone whether Highland Park maintains its status as a stable, equitable, and transparent jewel for families to live in or setting us on an ongoing path of predictable and guaranteed turmoil with continued challenges and tri challenges and tribulations for years to come. Thank you for your time. I urge you to vote no and put an end to this unnecessary, misguided, and distorted track that we have all been put on. Thank you for listening. Thank you.

Thank you, mayor. Thank you, council, for your time. Um, my name is Trey Damps. I'm a former Northwestern basketball player. Um, and I currently serve as a basketball director at Intentional Sports. It's a um youth center, a multisport youth center for inner city kids in the west side of Chicago and beyond as well. Um I think just being with those kids, I think the biggest need that I see amongst those kids is a need for hope and inspiration. And I deal with kids every day who are hopeless, directionless, even depressed, that have tough financial circumstances, that are going through a lot of hardships at home, uh, broken homes. And what I see with this project and and Mr. Cooper mentioned the fact that um, it's an opportunity to serve uh, inner city youth as well as Highland Park. It's it's an opportunity to inspire. Um, and I think all it takes for a young person is a spark. And I really believe that um, this can be an opportunity to provide that spark for young people. I think everybody in this room can draw on an experience where they felt inspired. And I think a spark is subjective. Obviously, for me, I'm a basketball person and I was inspired walking through the halls of uh, of Michael Jordan's old estate and Mr. Cooper's current residence. And I think just hearing everybody I think the common fear is peace being disturbed. But I would offer you to think about another perspective is that won't compare to the joy that you know that you'll have of being able to impact the next generation and especially the inner city youth of Chicago. Um, I'm a young black man that had to scrape up money and have multiple jobs and so I understand the prestige and how fortunate I've been able to be able to buy a home and I would gladly invite this venture to be my neighbor and right next door and would support it in every way. So, um, those statements

respectfully are are untrue because I would support this. Um, maybe I'm subjective just because I'm a basketball person, but uh, yeah, that that's all I have to say and thank you guys for your time.

Appreciate your comments. Thank you. And I don't mean to cut off my crew that has been here all night, but it is 10:15. This is not a public hearing. I suspect I know where your comments are going, pro and con, and appreciate your understanding as we wrap this up. Um, to the last speaker, I love your comments. I love your thoughts about Spark for Youth and giving folks an opportunity and inspiration. And Mr. Cooper, I thank you for the creativity and the time and the investment that you've put into something that really does have a lot of great potential. I think you've heard from this group this evening. We just feel it's in the wrong location. And again, if there's any opportunity for us to work with you to find a better location, I think you'll have resounding support from the community. With that, I'm asking for a motion to deny the resolution. Mayor, I would move to deny consideration of a zoning code text amendment allowing a new land use as a conditional use requiring planned development in certain limited locations in the R2 residential zoning district.

I'll second that. Thank you. Any further comment from the group? No. Council member center, do you have a question? Well, the motion to deny. The motion is The motion is to deny. So, a yes vote would be deny and the matter ends. We're done. Yeah, that confirmed. With that, I'll ask the clerk to call the vote. Council member Center, I. What was your answer? I Okay, thank you. Council member Bman, I. Council member Ross, I. Council member Tapio, I. Council member Little, I. Council member Bloomberg, hi. Mayor Roing,

I seven I's no nays. Um the resolution is denied, but we do again appreciate all that you've brought to us this evening and again want to thank the neighbors for your engagement. Um and feel free to talk to the city manager about potential other sightings. Um with that mayor seeking a motion to go into close session. I have a motion to go into close session pursuant to five ILCS 12. We can postpone it if you want. It's up to you. Do you want to? I I'd be in favor. 5 minutes. 30 minutes. Five. Close session. If we can post Let's do I can't focus. We love you, but I postpone.

Can you postpone? All right. Then seeking a motion to adjourn. Move to a second. All in favor say I. I'm sorry. Hi.