The village of Glenview has taken the first steps toward its largest land redevelopment effort since the transformation of the shuttered Naval Air Station Glenview into the residential, commercial and recreational center The Glen in the early 2000s.
The Village Board on Nov. 4 voted 5-0 to purchase the former Signode Industrial Group campus, located northeast of Pfingsten Road and West Lake Avenue, and east of Glenbrook South High School.
The village will pay $23.4 million for the 56-acre site using cash reserves from several funds within the municipal budget, said Deputy Village Manager Maggie Bosley. However, potential environmental cleanup costs are not yet known, another official said.
According to village officials, the purchase will not result in new taxes to the village.
Members of the Glenview community, with the Glenview Park District and local school districts, will have input on what is ultimately created on the site, village officials said, though recreational uses and open space were identified as preferred options.
“The village would look to partner with the park district and other local taxing bodies to guide the site’s redevelopment, the long-term master planning and the transformation of this area into a recreational, open space for the entire community,” said Jeff Brady, community development director for the village.
Playgrounds, athletic fields, sports facilities, trails, natural areas and open space are all ideas for the site, he indicated. Private development and retail uses could also be explored based on needs and input from the master planning process, said David Just, spokesman for the village.
The village’s cost for the property will be reimbursed by the additional taxing bodies and other entities that ultimately redevelop portions of the site, Brady said.
Master planning sessions with community members could start next spring, with construction beginning as soon as the summer of 2027, he indicated.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the future of a centrally located, underused property in a way that serves the entire community,” Village President Michael Jenny said in a village statement. “By working together, we can turn an idle industrial site into something greener, more sustainable, and more accessible for everyone, all while ensuring that local tax dollars are used wisely and collaboratively.”
In the same statement, Glenview Park District Executive Director Michael McCarty called the project and collaboration with the village “an exciting opportunity.”
Closing on the property could take place in February following an inspection period that will involve reviewing environmental and asbestos studies conducted by a consultant hired by a previous potential buyer who was considering a residential development, said Village Manager Matt Formica.
Once reviewed, the village will have a better idea of whether additional studies are needed and the scope of possible clean-up needed on the site, Just said.
The type of potential contaminants and the extent of ground contamination—including the cost for clean-up—is not yet known, he said.
Under Illinois law, environmental mitigation of contaminants is required ahead of any development.
Signode, a manufacturer and distributor of protective packaging systems, relocated from Glenview to Tampa, Florida in 2021.
The property, which contains three buildings used for offices, manufacturing and distribution, as well as detention ponds and grassy areas, has been on the market since 2020, the village said.
Residential and industrial concepts that did not move forward were reportedly considered by prospective developers.
The Village Board held closed session discussions on whether the village should consider purchasing the Signode site, Just confirmed, but he did not say how many meetings took place.
Ahead of their Nov. 4 vote, the elected officials, with Trustee Tim Doron absent, expressed enthusiasm with the purchase and the potential for community recreational uses there.
“I don’t think anybody is in favor of seeing that parcel maintaining its industrial zoning,” said Trustee Jim Bland. “i just view this as a really unique opportunity.”
Trustee Mary Cooper noted that the community will be able to determine the site’s future “as we see fit.”
“I think this is pretty exciting and forward-thinking, to take a big piece of property like this and fit it into our community,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of opportunities left to have such a big space [to work with].”
“The impact of this decision tonight cannot be overstated,” said Trustee Adam Sidoti. “This is going to be seen as the largest investment in this community since The Glen. This is not a decision or an investment that is going to be taken lightly.”
Sidoti added that prior input from the community has indicated that residents do not want heavy industry in the village, and space constraints within area schools make adding more housing problematic.
In his remarks to the Village Board, Glenview Park District Board President William Casey also referenced The Glen and the intergovernmental partnership between the village and park district that formed the 1,100-acre site’s mixed-use development.
“The Glen was transformational by far. This is going to be second to that, for sure,” he said of the Signode site.
Not everyone who addressed the board on Nov. 4 expressed support for the village’s purchase. Resident William Seitz suggested sending the proposal to referendum so voters could decide, while resident Gerald Barry accused the village of “playing Monopoly with public money.”
“This is the most determinately vague proposal I’ve ever heard in my life,” Barry said. “We’re going to ‘maybe’ partner with the park district, we’re going to ‘maybe’ partner with the schools. … When did Glenview get into the real estate speculation business?”
Resident Max West, who specializes in environmental insurance, said he loved the idea of redeveloping the Signode property, but cautioned about potential contaminants and advised the village to consult with an environmental attorney and secure insurance protections for unknown clean-up costs.
“You’ve got big building slabs you’re going to be working with here, and that may generate an unknown liability,” West noted.
