A proposed four-story condominium building on Green Bay Road in Hubbard Woods hit resistance for the second time on Thursday, June 18, when Winnetka's Design Review Board voted to continue its review rather than endorse the plan. Six businesses on the affected parcels still don't know whether they'll have a home.
The board sent the project, known as Tower Court Condominiums, back to developers with instructions to return Thursday, July 16. It designated members Heather Niehoff and Katie Moor, the board's chair, as delegates to work with the design team on further changes in the interim.
Moor said the revisions presented at the June 18 hearing improved the design but didn't resolve her core concern about fit. "It still doesn't feel like it fits," she said. Niehoff called the design "not cohesive" and said developers need to "go back to the drawing board." Commissioner Chris Baggett said the project "needs to change dramatically the way it looks," though he acknowledged a need for housing development in the village.
The proposal would demolish structures at 901–913 Green Bay Road and 1007–1011 Tower Court to construct a mixed-use building with 14 residential condominiums, just under 16,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and 55 parking spaces (nine at street level, 46 underground).
The six businesses currently occupying the site: Rebel House Interior Design, founded in 2015 by Marli Jones and Michael Kreuser, which fills a three-storefront space with windows facing directly onto Green Bay Road; Red Spade Environments, a landscape architecture firm led by Scott Freres; Bella Bleu Bridal, an appointment-only wedding gown boutique one block from the Hubbard Woods Metra stop; Alexandra Kaehler Design; Munder-Skiles, a handmade exterior furniture maker operating since 1991 with more than 175 designs in its line; and Europa Motors, a family-owned European auto repair shop where multiple customer reviews reference 20-plus years of patronage.
Before the June 18 hearing, the project's architect, Jon Talty, CEO of OKW Architects and a Winnetka resident, presented revisions including a further fourth-floor setback, reduced building height, and material changes. Talty told the board the goal was to lessen the project's impact on Green Bay Road. OKW also designed the One Winnetka development at Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue, which took more than a decade to win Village Council approval.
The Tower Court project first surfaced publicly in late October 2025 when the Village Council held a preliminary review. Trustees showed some support but raised concerns about height, massing, and parking. The Design Review Board's first formal hearing on May 21 produced similar skepticism, with commissioners citing the building's "urban" appearance in an intimate downtown setting.
The Design Review Board is advisory. After it concludes its review, the proposal must go before Winnetka's Planned Development Commission. The Village Council will make the final decision. The developer behind the project has not been publicly identified in available village documents.
The board's next hearing on the proposal is Thursday, July 16, when Niehoff and Moor are expected to report back on their work sessions with the design team.
