The corner of Park Drive that once housed Federalist Antiques and Helen's Cleaners has no new building coming, no approved plan on file, and an active demolition permit hanging over it.
Michael Frieburger, the Wilmette-based developer behind Park Place, has withdrawn his application for a luxury residential building at 515-519 Park Drive in Kenilworth, ending a year-long fight that drew neighbor opposition, two commission denials, and a 4-3 Village Board vote just to keep the project alive.
Kenilworth Village Manager Kathy Thake confirmed Wednesday, July 23, that the village is no longer considering Park Place.
The withdrawal leaves adjacent property owners in an uncomfortable spot. A demolition permit for 515 Park Drive remains active, Thake said, and village staff is waiting on information from Frieburger's firm, NEWLOOK Development, before the permit is scheduled for a Building Review Commission agenda. No hearing date has been announced.
Frieburger did not return messages from The Record North Shore by press time Wednesday.
A retail condition killed the deal
The project's death traces directly to a condition the Village Board imposed at its Monday, June 15, meeting: any approval required a ground-floor retail component.
Frieburger told trustees that night that his luxury for-sale product could not accommodate commercial space. "In this particular project and design, as presented, as a luxury, for-sale product, there cannot be any commercial space," he said at the June 15 meeting. "We would not accept conditions of that, I don't think, because we cannot do that."
The board voted 5-1 that evening to grant preliminary approval with the retail condition attached. Frieburger's withdrawal confirms he meant what he said.
A year of revisions
Park Place first arrived at Village Hall in the summer of 2025 as a four-story, 50-foot luxury condominium proposal. Neighbors pushed back on the building's size almost immediately, and both Kenilworth's Architectural Review Commission and Plan Commission recommended denial.
In January 2026, the Village Board voted 4-3 to send the project back to advisory boards rather than kill it outright. Village President Cecily Kaz cast the tiebreaking vote.
Frieburger responded with revisions. He lowered the height to 40 feet and removed retail space, saying the cut was necessary to bring the building down. Trustees tabled that version at their Monday, April 20, meeting after hours of discussion. Frieburger revised again, dropping to 35 feet and eliminating the fourth floor entirely.
None of it was enough to satisfy the board without retail on the ground floor.
What it means for Park Drive
The building at 515 Park Drive still stands. But with no development application on file and a live demolition permit, the site's future is unclear. Residents near the property have no scheduled public hearing to attend and no timeline for what happens next.
The village has not announced when the Building Review Commission will take up the demolition question. Residents seeking updates can file a FOIA request with the Village of Kenilworth at villageofkenilworth.org.
