HIGHWOOD CITY COUNCIL’S 4.21.26 MEETING IN A NUTSHELL
Appearance
The owners of Antiques on Old Plank Road (210 Green Bay Rd.) applied for approval of new business signage and building facade painting. The City Council voted to authorize the proposed signage and facade painting.
Development
In 2024, the city purchased 244 Waukegan Ave. and 0 Waukegan Ave. to economically and aesthetically revitalize the area through redevelopment and secure guaranteed access from Waukegan Ave. to City Hall and the Police Department, since the preexisting access from Highwood Ave. has been privately owned since those facilities were constructed. A restaurant operator, One Off Hospitality (OOH), owns the adjacent property at 250 Waukegan Ave. and intends to open a restaurant there under its Avec brand, which has other locations in Chicago. OOH expressed interest in acquiring the city-owned properties to expand the restaurant’s dining space and add dry and cooler storage, create a private parking lot for the business, and develop a separate restaurant concept similar in type and quality to its existing Publican Quality Bread concept. The City Council previously authorized city staff to negotiate redevelopment and purchase agreements with OOH. Draft agreements reflecting those negotiations were presented by staff and included the following key terms:
OOH will purchase the properties as is for $250k.
OOH must renovate and redevelop the properties to support the restaurant at 250 Waukegan Ave., including dining-related space, storage, parking, and a separate restaurant concept similar in type and quality to Publican Quality Bread.
If OOH does not complete the required improvements or otherwise defaults, the city may repurchase the properties at the original $250k purchase price (plus verified improvement costs).
The city and OOH must enter into an agreement securing public and municipal ingress/egress across the properties to/from City Hall and the Police Department.
The City Council voted to approve the agreements and authorize their execution.
Environment
For many years, mosquito control services for Highwood, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Riverwoods were provided by the South Lake Mosquito Abatement District (SLMAD). Last year, SLMAD was dissolved and its service area was incorporated into the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District (NSMAD). NSMAD already provided mosquito control services to several Cook County municipalities, including Evanston, Glencoe, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka. Highwood residents can now submit service requests to NSMAD online or by calling (847) 446-9434. Service requests can be submitted for property inspections to address mosquito concerns, during which an NSMAD field technician will assess the property and surrounding area, report any findings and treatments, and provide guidance on preventing future mosquito breeding. Service requests can also be submitted for waste tire collection, since improperly discarded or stored tires can become mosquito breeding sites. There is no fee to residents for service requests. NSMAD also operates a tick identification lab. Residents who find a tick and would like help determining whether it is of public health concern can submit a photo by emailing ticks@nsmad.org or texting (847) 903-0220. Information about these and other NSMAD services, including surveillance and treatment dashboards and notifications, can be found on the district’s website.
Finance
The City Council voted to approve the payment of various bills totaling $103k.
The City Council voted to accept the City Treasurer’s financial report covering the period of May 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
Parks & Public Spaces
In 2023, the City purchased 341 Waukegan Ave., 11 Walker Ave., and 7 Walker Ave. with plans to develop a new park at 341 Waukegan Ave. and a public parking lot on the remaining properties. The city’s consulting engineer, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, provided a technical memorandum outlining three conceptual parking lot layouts and cost estimates. The City Council discussed the options and provided feedback to city staff regarding surface materials, landscaping, and hardscaping, and continued further discussion to a future meeting.
For more than a decade, the city has contracted Guy Scopelliti Landscape to supplement city personnel with landscape maintenance services (the relationship was originally established with Anthony Scopelliti Landscaping, which subsequently merged into Guy Scopelliti Landscape). The City Council approved an agreement with Guy Scopelliti Landscape to continue providing these services in 2026 in an amount not to exceed $30k, maintaining last year’s service rates.
Two wall-mounted basketball hoop assemblies at the city’s Rec Center are decades old, in disrepair, and no longer supported with replacement parts. The City Council voted to authorize the purchase of two new assemblies from H2I Group at a cost of $25k.
The playground equipment at Memorial Park (i.e., the “ballpark” on Western Ave.) is nearing the end of its useful life. The City Council discussed potential approaches for future improvements, including different types of equipment, options for different age groups, surfacing, and overall layout, and agreed to seek community input as a next step. Resident and business owner Jess Ortega volunteered to help with the project. The City Council continued further discussion to a future meeting.
Public Comment
A resident asked about the city’s plans to comply with federal and state requirements related to lead service line replacements, as well as the status of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory’s planned concert hall.
Two residents asked about the Police Department’s policies, procedures, and training for responding to mental health–related calls for service and encouraged the city to consider evaluating participation in the Lake County Sheriff's Office Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COaST) or similar efforts.
An owner of 432 Sheridan Rd. and the former longtime operator of Teddy O’Brian’s shared their interest in reopening the business and asked about the city’s expectations for that to occur.
Public Safety
The city owns six police vehicles equipped with onboard computers that support police operations. The computers are several years old and experiencing performance degradation. The City Council voted to authorize the purchase of six new computers (Getac A140 G2), along with cases, keyboards, and five-year warranties, from Paragon Micro at a cost of $29k.
Waste & Recycling
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has entered into a statewide partnership with Recycle Coach to provide residents with free access to a software tool aimed at improving household waste disposal across the state. The goal of the partnership is to increase recycling participation, reduce contamination at material recovery facilities, increase diversion of materials from landfills and waterways, and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. The Recycle Coach mobile app includes a collection calendar, notifications and reminders, a “report a problem” feature for issues including missed pickups or damaged recycling containers, and a search tool (text or photo) to help residents properly dispose of various household waste items such as cereal box liners and pizza boxes. City staff provided an update on progress in onboarding the tool, and the City Council provided related feedback.
Other
The City Council voted to approve meeting minutes from April 7, 2026.
The Chamber of Commerce’s April newsletter is here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Ladies Night Out: Run For the Roses will be held on April 23rd from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at various locations around Highwood; additional information here.
Meeting Records
A video recording of the Regular Meeting is here.
Once approved, minutes from the Committee of the Whole Meeting and Regular Meeting will be linked here.
These write-ups are purposefully brief. Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you would like additional details or have questions.
*unless otherwise noted, City Council directives and votes were unanimous.