Wilmette · Public project evidence
Optima Lumina: later PUD action confirmed; delivery needs separate records
The Village records preliminary approval and a later PUD grant. An April 28, 2026 staff update reports permitting in progress; issued permits, construction and public-benefit delivery remain unverified.
Documented status: April 2026 permit-process report; issued permits unconfirmed. Evidence dated . Later outcomes require a later source.
What the source records establish
Source record
Preliminary approval followed by a further PUD action
The Village records October 2024 preliminary approval and a PUD grant on April 8, 2025. Neither record establishes construction or public-benefit delivery.
Source record
Mixed-use development proposed
The proposal describes 128 condominium units and commercial space. An April 28, 2026 staff update reports the MWRD permit process underway; an issued permit and construction were not established by that report.
Source record
Preliminary approval covered a 128-unit proposal
The Village records a 6–1 approval on October 22, 2024. Its project page distinguishes preliminary approval from the final-plan step that precedes construction permits.
Source record
Public benefits were proposed at other locations
The staff memo includes developer funding for a Green Bay Road crossing near Washington Avenue and 25 additional public spaces on Village-owned land at 1225 Central Avenue. The memo describes revised commitments, not completed facilities.
Source record
The proposed benefits run on different clocks
The posted proposed ordinance puts the $3,815,000 housing contribution before building permits other than demolition permits. It allows the 1225 Central parking work within one year after the final certificate of occupancy. These proposed triggers explain which later records to seek; the executed conditions still need confirmation.
Source record
A later Board action exists beyond the project-page timeline
The April 8 action summary records a PUD grant for 721–739 Green Bay Road and an ordinance concerning an Optima special service area and public hearing. This is later evidence than the October preliminary decision; it does not establish permit issuance.
Source record
The housing document separates approval from implementation
An undated municipal draft says Optima is approved but has not applied for construction permits. Page 25 lists $3,815,500; page 26 says $3,815,000. The $500 difference remains unresolved. The draft reports 16 homes purchased and resold through the earlier Verdana-funded community land trust; it does not attribute those homes to Lumina.
Source record
A dated 2026 update ties payment to a permit milestone
At the April 28, 2026 Board meeting, staff reported that Optima was obtaining its Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) permit. The approved minutes describe an approximately $3.8 million housing contribution payable when the building permit is issued. This is a dated staff update, not an issued permit or receipt; the rounded amount does not resolve the draft’s $500 discrepancy.
Proposals and possible effects
Possible effect
Additional homes and commercial activity
If completed as approved, the site adds housing and business space. Actual occupancy, traffic and school-enrollment effects remain unverified.
Properties and geography
721–739 Green Bay Road. Scope: site. Approximate locator averaged from two county parcels addressed 721 Green Bay Road; not the full approved site boundary.
Official location sourceExamples on referenced streets. These links do not establish that a parcel is affected, charged, approved or eligible.
Decision timeline
Commission recommends approval
Vote recorded as 6–0.
Village Board approves preliminary plan
Vote recorded as 6–1.
Village records a further PUD grant
The April 8 action summary records PUD approval for Optima and a separate SSA/public-hearing ordinance. It does not establish an issued construction permit.
Staff reports permitting in progress
Approved minutes report an MWRD permit in process and the housing contribution due at building-permit issuance; they do not establish either issuance or payment.
Funding and who may pay
Conditions and public commitments
Contracts, permits and completion evidence
2025-04-08 · Village records a further PUD grant
The April 8 action summary records PUD approval for Optima and a separate SSA/public-hearing ordinance. It does not establish an issued construction permit.
2026-04-28 · Staff reports permitting in progress
Approved minutes report an MWRD permit in process and the housing contribution due at building-permit issuance; they do not establish either issuance or payment.
What changed in this edition
The permanent timeline brings the previously reviewed source records together with funding references, conditions and property context. It does not assert a new project decision or completion after the evidence dates shown above. Future material updates will identify the changed claim and its source.
Open questions and next records
- Follow the April 2026 permit-process report to issued MWRD and Village permits, housing-contribution receipts and offsite completion records; confirm the executed final conditions separately.
- The final executed contribution amount or an explanation for the $500 discrepancy.
- Receipt of Lumina contribution money or delivery of Lumina-funded affordable homes.
- Current permit, construction or occupancy status; neither the undated draft nor the April 28, 2026 staff update is a current permit ledger.
- Completion of the proposed public parking or crosswalk.
- Final PUD ordinance and public-benefit agreements: Confirm the enforceable amount, payment trigger, deadlines and responsibility for offsite work.
- Issued construction and MWRD permits for 721–739 Green Bay Road: Trace the April 2026 permit-process report to issued permits and dated construction records.
- Housing-fund receipts and public-benefit completion records: Join the obligation to money actually received and completed facilities or aggregate housing acquisitions; an approval is not a receipt.
Official source records
- Optima Lumina decision history and submissions
Village of Wilmette · Published 2024-10-22 · Reviewed 2026-09-15 · October 22 update; final-plan section
- April 8, 2025 Village Board action summary
Village of Wilmette · Published 2025-04-08 · Reviewed 2026-09-06 · PDF page 1, items 2 and 3
- April 28, 2026 Village Board minutes: Optima permit and payment update
Village of Wilmette · Published 2026-04-28 · Reviewed 2026-09-15 · PDF pages 6–7, Optima Lumina staff update; minutes approved May 12, 2026. A dated permitting report, not an issued permit or payment receipt.