News:

Organizers of a plan to build a National Hockey League-sized hockey rink on property owned by the Society of the Divine Word in Northbrook's Techny say they are on target for raising $8 million and building the facility in the next year.

The project is one of three being considered for the religious order's last available 23 acres.

The Wilmette Hockey Association's Chuck Smith said the joint effort of Wilmette, Winnetka and New Trier Hockey clubs has secured about $2 million in private contribution commitments and is moving toward the $3 million target that will make it eligible to borrow the rest from the Illinois Finance Authority.

They are close to an agreement for a long-term lease of five acres along Founder's Drive north of the Pinstripes bowling and bocce center at 1150 Willow Road. It is part of the last remaining vacant land for re-development under a plan that has unfolded since the area was annexed to Northbrook in 1988.

"We're moving forward and we hope to get final IFA approval here in September and start building a hockey rink," Smith said. "We've made a lot of progress and raised a lot of money and we're just in the process of dotting the I's and crossing the T's and we believe we'll be building a rink there and playing in it in the fall of 2008."

The three clubs, which together have 1,100 members, moved to build their own rink because of the limited availability of prime ice time at area park district rinks that also serve figure skating clubs and the general public.

Smith said hockey players increasingly have had to rent ice time as far away as Buffalo Grove, Lake Forest and Vernon Hills.

In building their own rink the clubs will form a joint entity to run the facility and charge themselves for ice time to pay for upkeep, debt service and the land lease.

Arts center raising funds

The International Center on Deafness and the Arts has raised more than $1.1 million toward a $15 million campaign to build a 50,000-square-foot headquarters on five acres south of where the hockey rink would be. The center, which provides education and artistic opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing, would move its operations from smaller offices at 614 Anthony Trail in Northbrook. IT has launched a number of fund-raising efforts to support not only construction, but also to build a $10 million endowment to run the center, and hopes to be able to move in by the fall of 2008, according to the group's capital campaign materials.

An Omaha, Neb.-based company, Essex Senior Living, has expressed interest in building a senior housing complex of about 120 units on about 6 acres near the property's south end. Some of the units would be designated as "affordable" or something below market rate.

The company's regional development director, Doug Deines, said many details remain to be worked out and discussions with the village of Northbrook and the Society are still preliminary.

"President (Gene) Marks has really been diligent about wanting an affordable component and affordable senior living for the residents and we are trying to fulfill his request on that. By the same token, we also want to provide a high quality product that's up to the standards of the residents of Northbrook and so we're doing our best to do that," Deines said last week.

Deines said the company has developments in Geneva and St. Charles, and the concept is independent living with plenty of amenities for residents with middle or higher incomes.

"We have a lot of services and community room and activities and van transportation and all that, but it is truly independent in that there's not medical staff on the clock 24/7 or anything like that. It's not assisted living or nursing care, but it's not condos or apartments either," Deines said.

Senior housing suggested

So far, Essex has brought the concept to the village in the form of a preliminary review, but has not yet submitted formal plans. Deines said that could happen within a month or two.

Plans for the remaining seven acres have not been publicly identified, although restaurants or retail uses have been mentioned as possibilities.

Both the hockey rink and the art center are uses permitted given their sites' zoning, and therefore those projects won't be subject to a public review process, said David Schoon, assistant director of community planning.

Zoning would have to change to accommodate the senior housing plan, on a site zoned for office use.

Society officials say none of the trio is a sure deal yet. Almost all of the deals have involved long-term leases rather than land sales, so the order can maintain control over what's built around its 150-acre campus east of Waukegan Road.

"The Society will remain steadfast in its commitment to only support projects that are compatible with the unique nature of Northbrook and will bring appropriate and beneficial development to our community," stated the Rev. Walter Bracken chairman of the Society's Techny Land Committee. "The Society, in partnership with President Marks and the village of Northbrook, will ultimately make the decision as to how our land is developed."

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