Northbrook trustees send special-permit request for daycare at 2750 Dundee Road to Plan Commission

Trustees on the Village of Northbrook Board voted Oct. 28 to send a preliminary special-permit request from S2 Partners LLC for a child day-care at 2750 Dundee Road to the Northbrook Plan Commission for a public hearing.

Director McEwen told the board the proposal would occupy roughly 4,400'5,000 square feet in tenant unit No. 9, with a proposed maximum enrollment of 40 children and operating hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parents would escort children into the building at a front entrance, and a fenced outdoor play area is proposed in the rear parking area. The applicant's materials indicate food will be delivered, not prepared on-site, and staff said the proposal is sized to meet state licensing requirements.

The board's discussion centered on safety and traffic logistics. Trustee Cassidy said, “I have concerns about how possible it's going to be to make the ingress egress and the safety work in that location, particularly with the plan as presented.” Other trustees pressed for more detail about the proposed bollards, curb protection, truck turning in the rear lane and whether reserved spaces could be provided in front of the tenant space to ease parent drop-off.

Director McEwen said some of those specifics will be addressed in later application materials and engineering drawings, and noted the site must meet Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) requirements for child-care facilities. McEwen explained the village's updated zoning calculations show the site meets parking minimums: the code requires 191 spaces for the development and 200 spaces are provided.

Trustee Hebel said the board supported moving the request forward for full review, calling it “an excellent use of this property” while noting the Plan Commission should vet safety and circulation in detail. Trustee Ross seconded the motion. Acting Chair Israel called for the voice vote; board members responded "Aye," and the motion passed.

What happens next: The application will proceed to a Plan Commission public hearing, where staff and the applicant are expected to present detailed site and engineering plans, including finalized layouts for drop-off, play-area surfacing and any protective measures (bollards, curbs, screening) near truck lanes and fire access.

Action recorded: Motion to send the special-permit request for 2750 Dundee Road to the Northbrook Plan Commission for public hearing; moved by Trustee Hebel, seconded by Trustee Ross; voice vote passed.