Trustees hear Redwood proposal for downtown redevelopment; debate hotel versus mixed-use apartments

President Garvey called the Villager Brookfield Committee of the Whole to order on the evening of March 9, 2026, and opened discussion of RFP responses for two village-owned parcels at 3717–3723 Grand Boulevard.

Village Manager Tim Wyberg said the parcels were purchased between September 2024 and January 2025 and that the purpose of the meeting was to hear proposals, not to approve a development agreement. "If the board was comfortable, . . . you could direct staff to move forward with the preferred development option and direct staff to work with the development team to come back with a development agreement," Wyberg said.

Libby, a village staff member, sketched the planning context and TIF status, saying the village has invested $670,000 to date in the property (exclusive of demolition and site-preparation costs) and that environmental testing is complete. She introduced the Redwood team and SB Friedman, the TIF consultant, to answer financing questions.

Steve Blentlinger of Redwood Construction Group presented the developer’s two-option concept: a boutique hotel with a second-floor event/terrace space, or a mixed-use apartment building with ground-floor retail. "Our goal was really pretty simple with this project," Blentlinger said, describing the proposal as a "place making" effort to attract residents, visitors and retail. He emphasized designing so the structure could convert from a hotel to apartments if market conditions required.

Blentlinger outlined design priorities—ground-floor activation, compatibility with the historic streetscape, EV- and solar-readiness and potential geothermal systems—and said the firm estimated a roughly 24-month project timeline from signings to delivery. On finances, he acknowledged parking constraints and said smaller projects often still face a similar underlying construction cost, which drives requests for public incentives.

Jeff Dickinson of SB Friedman, the village’s TIF consultant, told trustees the TIF analysis differs between the hotel and apartment scenarios. He said Redwood has requested some "milestone payments" (up-front assistance) that are not a pure pay-as-you-go structure and that limits exist on what the current TIF fund can support. "We have to work through that with them," Dickinson said, urging the board to narrow preferences so staff and the developer can refine the financial model.

Trustees pressed the developer on property management, past projects, tenant relationships and the depth of market work. Blentlinger said Redwood generally intends to be a long-term owner, will engage licensed architects and outside managers where appropriate, and has conducted conservative internal market outreach but would perform further third-party due diligence for Brookfield.

Board members discussed process options: whether to name a preferred developer and, if so, whether to ask Redwood to pursue the hotel concept in particular or to focus on apartments. Several trustees asked for more detailed TIF scenarios before committing to a preferred path, and Dickinson said those projections would improve as the project’s program is narrowed.

During public comment, resident James McCatherine said he favored the hotel option, calling it a "bold new direction" and saying a hotel with a good restaurant could enliven downtown.

After discussion, the board voted to move into executive session under the Open Meetings Act (Section 2(c)(6)) to discuss pricing and sale or lease terms for the property; the motion passed on a roll-call vote and the meeting adjourned into executive session at 8:41 p.m.

Next steps: trustees signaled they expect additional analysis and refinement of TIF numbers and developer terms before any formal selection or approval. The village will seek the second proposer for a future Committee of the Whole meeting and staff will return with refined financial analysis and recommended next steps.