Murphy Development gets greenlight for One Winnetka

At last! One Winnetka, a long-awaited mixed-use development in the ritzy north suburb, has been set in motion. 

After more than a decade of discussions and deliberations, Winnetka trustees have unanimously approved the transformative project, which will breathe life into the southeast corner of Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue, the Record North Shore reported.

One Winnetka has been the subject of numerous proposals over the past decade. The approved plan closely aligns with revisions made early last year, following a surge in support for the proposal.

Murphy Development’s four-story development is slated for up to 59 residential units, 21,000 square feet of commercial space and 152 parking spaces — 39 at ground level and 113 underground. Jon Talty, CEO of OKW Architects, is handling design. 

The residential portion will comprise one-, two and three-bedroom apartments, spanning the top three floors. Floor plans will range from 1,100 to 1,800  square feet. Talty outlined plans for a courtyard-style layout with amenities including a spacious terrace and a 4,600-square-foot lobby. 

David Schoon, Winnetka’s director of community development, highlighted two significant modifications to the proposal: adjustments to design elements and the inclusion of financial and medical services on the ground floor. Guidelines regulate the allocation of space for those services, preventing any single entity from dominating the floor area, Schoon said.

Following extensive reviews by Winnetka’s Design Review Board and Planned Development Commission, which endorsed the project, Talty expressed confidence in the refined outcome.

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“I really believe from the bottom of my heart that the public process we went through … made this a better building,” Talty said. “This is better today than it was in January of 2023. 

Winnetka trustees praised the development team’s flexibility and voiced optimism regarding the project’s potential to enrich the community. 

“It’s going to be a fantastic addition to this community, and I think you will be well welcomed by the members of this village, because we are all so tired of looking at what’s been there now for years and years and years,” said Village president Chris Rintz

The project still needs one last plan review from village staff before finalizing it, which could happen as soon as April.

—Quinn Donoghue