On Nov. 6, The Northfield Plan & Zoning Commission decided to not make any recommendation at this time in regards to the proposed multi-family residential planned unit development on Winnetka Road. When the committee reconvenes on Jan. 2, we strongly encourage the commissioners to provide their reccomendation.

This development is a good opportunity that the village of Northfield would be foolish to pass up. One of the greatest weaknesses of the North Shore community is the lack of options for empty-nesters seeking to downsize. The proposed development would offer accommodation within walking distance of downtown Northfield, the North Shore Senior Center, the forest preserve, and New Trier’s Northfield Campus. The proposed apartment would also be directly adjacent to two major bus routes, connecting residents to the community and allowing for an easier commute to the city.

Empty-nesters are a large but underserved demographic in this housing market, and they deserve attention.

This townhome development will also be a significant aesthetic improvement to the current unsightly parking lot and single story building on the lot.

Many of the townspeople opposed to this new development are in fact residents of the Meadowlake condominium complex across the street, which went through a very similar approval process in 1991. Ironically, these people don’t want to share the benefits of medium density suburban living for fear of slightly increased car traffic. This dissonance is known by urban planning experts as the “not in my backyard” phenomenon. NIMBYism, as it is also called, regularly plagues wealthier areas and routinely stymies economic development.

The corner of Winnetka and Happ has now been outfitted with a traffic light, which would mitigate problems that could arise from the development.

Unfortunately not all opposition has been focused on issues of traffic and congestion. Others opposed to the development have pivoted to focus on the subjective notion of the character of the neighborhood and have made statements with considerable derogatory undertones reminiscent of the era of redlining. “This is not the Northfield we know” warns the group’s website. They further caution “your block could be next.”

The group’s Facebook further claims that the presence of renters who allegedly “have no vested interest in the property or the community” would destabilize the community. We believe these claims are false and that rental properties would provide a means for families who are unable to afford homeownership to enter this community.

A study from the MIT Center for Real Estate found that “multi-family [rental] developments need not be feared in terms of property value losses.”

We implore all readers to consider how the current parking lot is contributing to the neighborhood. Rezoning this land for denser residential usage will expand housing options and bring economic development to the village of Northfield.