Northbrook residents fight plan to replace Meadow Plaza Shopping Center with condos

A proposal that could dramatically change the heart of downtown Northbrook faces growing opposition from some neighbors and business owners. 

A plan for Meadow Plaza, one of the North Shore's oldest shopping centers, would replace it with condominiums and less commercial space.

For generations, Meadow Plaza has been more than just a shopping center. People come not just for grocery runs and lunch at the farmers market, but also a gathering space. Now, many worry, with this new proposal, the space might look very different in the years to come.

For some Northbrook residents, Meadow Plaza is what downtown is all about: a crowded farmers market, locally owned businesses, and a place to go where people know each other.

Save Downtown Northbrook, a coalition of residents, is fighting a plan from Pulte Homes to tear down Meadow Plaza and replace it with three six-story condominium buildings, leaving little commercial space.

Opponents of the project said the issue is bigger than new construction.

"The paradox is that people move here for what is currently here, only to be destroyed for what will not be here, negating what they moved here for," said Save Downtown Northbrook organizer Susan Nelson.

The shopping center is home to 14 businesses — some there for decades — and those owners worry they could be pushed out of the downtown area.

"I may end up closing if I can't be in downtown, and I think that's true of several of the businesses," said Jill Carlisle, owner of La De Da! gift shop.

Carlisle said the businesses at Meadow Plaza here have become part of the fabric of this village.

"We are the only shops. So, once those go, your community changes so much," she said.

Residents have launched an online petition and packed recent village meetings, raising concerns about traffic, flooding, building height, and the impact on downtown Northbrook.

So far, Pulte Homes has not filed a formal application with the village to obtain approval for their project.

"This is a private sale, so it is not something that we have the jurisdiction, and what I do know is that it cannot be sold as is. That is not a possibility," said Northbrook village trustee Tamara Reese.

Village officials said that's partly because there is a history of environmental contamination at the site. Officials also said the shopping center's long-time owner has been trying to sell the property for years, but no one wants to buy it and continue to operate it.

"If and when there is a formal application, I hope all of these people come out to compromise and make this space something that Northbrook can be proud of," Reese said.

The Village said the Pulte Homes redevelopment proposal is still in its very early stages and would need to go through major hoops, including a full public review process, before it is approved.

Pulte Homes said, because the project is still in the entitlement process, it's too early for the company to comment.