Trustees approve "Reserve at the Brook" redevelopment, deny restricted vehicular access after resident safety debate

The Village of Northbrook Board of Trustees voted to approve a redevelopment plan for the former Our Lady of the Brook property at 3700 Dundee, granting rezoning to an R-6 residential category, a special permit for a residential planned development, and conceptual approval of a tentative plat for 53 age-restricted units.

The proposal, presented to the board as items 11b through 11e, includes affordable housing units distributed across the development and a three-palette exterior color plan approved by the Architectural Control Committee, staff said. The plan commission had requested additional public input on whether the new neighborhood should have restricted vehicular access to the adjacent Charlemagne subdivision via Anjou; that question became the central point of public comment and board deliberation.

Residents of Charlemagne urged restricted access or physical barriers, citing safety, existing cut-through traffic and school walking routes. Several residents and the Charlemagne HOA offered alternatives to a locked gate, including removable stakes, an unlatched lift gate, or an Opticon-enabled barrier that would open for emergency vehicles. Police Chief John Ustich and Fire Chief Jay Schweppes told the board that, from a life-safety and response-time perspective, the village prefers open public access rather than locked or restricted private gates on a public right-of-way.

After extended public comment and trustee discussion, the board voted to approve the development ordinances without restricted access between the new development and Charlemagne. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all trustees voting yes. Separately, the board directed staff to study current traffic and speed conditions in the Charlemagne area and to return to the board with options; the board also directed staff to conduct a traffic study focused on ingress and egress at Anjou and at the Dundee intersection approximately one year after the new development is substantially occupied (trustees discussed a "fully occupied" threshold of about 95% sales).

Ending: Trustees said they were satisfied with the project's density, affordable-housing plan and design, but acknowledged residents' traffic and maintenance concerns and required follow-up studies. The board asked staff to report on short-term traffic mitigation options for the Charlemagne neighborhood and to monitor the development's traffic after occupancy.