News About The Glen

“New Urbanism” in The Glen

by

 

If you didn’t see Mary Ellen Podmolik’s story, “Paving the Way for a Vibrant Downtown”, in the Chicago Tribune on November 10th, please go online and find it.  Not only is Ms. Podmolik one of the finest journalists who write about real estate, but she selected a very timely and engaging topic…”new urbanism”.  In a nutshell the term means new homes in close proximity to create a feeling of neighborhood within walking distance of restaurants, shops and public transportation…yet often in suburban communities far from city center (read downtown Chicago).

The examples used by Ms. Podmolic are the School Street homes in Libertyville and the planned development on Floral Avenue in Skokie.  She points to research by the National Association of Realtors that shows that people will trade a large yard for a shorter commute and for a short walk to schools, restaurants and businesses.  But she might as well have written about The Glen, developed with this model in mind, fully a dozen years ago before the concept even had a name.

The Glen is a residential and retail community in the North Shore village of Glenview, Illinois.  The Glen has several neighborhoods, most within an easy walk to the retail hub called Glen Town Center which has scores of restaurants and shops along with a movie theater, coffee house, book store, and Kohl Children’s Museum.  Attea Middle School is also located in The Glen.

I live in a townhome development called Tower Crossing with 154 spectacular homes which border Glen Town Center.  We know our neighbors and see them constantly.  Our favorite activity is what we call “mailbox parties”, informal Sunday night cook outs in the common area by our mailboxes.  All homes are within a few STEPS of dining and shopping, and a few blocks from a Metra train station.  The Cambridge neighborhood with single family homes, townhomes, two-flats, and duplexes is just across Patriot Blvd from Glen Town Center.  Chapel Crossing’s many single family homes are a short walk as well.

If you may be interested in living in a “new urbanism” environment, please contact me.  I would love to show you what it’s like to live in The Glen.

Margaret Ludemann, Glen resident and @properties Realtor

Margaret.Ludemann@gmail.com   847-401-1802

The Chapel in The Glen

by

Back in the day…47 chapels were built on naval air stations throughout the United States.  These houses of worship were used for non-denominational services.  So over the course of the many years of their service, particularly during World War II, hundreds of thousands of naval airmen and base staff worshiped in these simple yet beautiful structures.

One is left.

The last remaining naval chapel resides in The Glen, the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community in Glenview, Illinois.  The Glen was built on the former Naval Air Station Glenview after the base was decommissioned and sold to the village.  It consists of over 2,000 homes, nearly 5,000 residents, scores of shops and restaurants, two golf courses, the Kohl Children’s Museum, Gallery Park, Lake Glenview, and numerous beautiful neighborhoods each built by a different developer.

The Glen’s chapel, now called Schram Memorial Chapel, was moved from its original location, and rebuilt at the corner of Patriot Blvd and Chestnut Drive; it is across the street from the highly regarded Attea Middle School.  It is the cornerstone of a housing development called – appropriately – Chapel Crossing which houses 676 residents living in 167 single family homes.

Today the chapel is available for rent for a variety of events.  It is particularly popular as a venue for weddings, but it is also used extensively for baptisms, christenings, memorial services, Eagle Court of Honor ceremonies, and Bar & Bat Mitzvahs.  The main chapel has pew seating for 150; and on the lower level there is auditorium-style seating for 140 or banquet-style seating for 90.  To make reservations or to gain additional information you can call the Glenview Park District at 847-521-2562.

There is a lot to love about The Glen.  For information about homes for sale, please contact Glen resident Margaret Ludemann who is a Realtor with @properties Residential Brokerage, 847-401-1802 or by email margaretludemann@gmail.com.

Halloween in The Glen

by

There’s no better place for a kid on Halloween than The Glen which is the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community, in Glenview Illinois.  This place is packed with kids of all ages, and the community goes all out to make Halloween fun and safe.

The heart of The Glen is our “downtown” called Glen Town Center, a three block long stretch of restaurants, shops, and a movie theater.  Every year Glen Town Center organizes activities for Halloween.  This year is no exception. Sunday October 27 there was a Pet Costume Parade which was huge fun.  It was followed by a Zombie Run for the Heart, a 5k run or 1 mile walk around Lake Glenview, across Patriot Blvd from Glen Town Center in Gallery Park.  The first 100 zombie participants received makeup and hair to make them as scary as possible!  On Monday the 28th a Halloween Film Festival is planned which includes dinner and a movie 5 screens of new releases and at midnight the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Another Halloween tradition is the party at Vi (formerly Hyatt), a beautiful retirement community in The Glen.  Children 8 and under are welcome to enjoy a clown band, ballroom art, face painting, carnival games, lots of cookies, and an airbrush tattoo artist.

Trick or treating is, of course, the highlight of The Glen’s Halloween week.  Many kids start their trick or treating in Glen Town Center where all of the merchants provide candy starting right after school.  The 1,420 children who live in The Glen are then off into the neighborhoods.  It’s quite a sight!  The Chapel Crossing, Landings and Southgate neighborhoods get the most trick or treaters; and many of their residents report having 500 or more kids come by.

The Glen is a great place for families.  My son loves it here, and he can’t imagine living anywhere else.  Neither can I.  If you might be interested in living in The Glen please contact me at 847-401-1802 or by email margaretludemann@gmail.com.

Margaret Ludemann, Resident of The Glen and @properties Realtor

Coming…Westgate at the Glen

by

In May I wrote a blog about a new housing development on the drawing boards for The Glen.  The Glen is the premier lifestyle community on the North Shore in Glenview, Illinois.  The Glen offers several residential neighborhoods and is anchored by Glen Town Center which has numerous restaurants, shops, a book store, coffee shop, and a movie theater.

The proposed development is close to final approval (I am keeping my fingers crossed), so I thought this would be a good time to provide an update.  The development, by Edward R. James Partners, LLC, will be called Westgate at the Glen.  It will be located adjacent to the new Regency neighborhood of townhomes and villas just north of West Lake Avenue and west of Shermer Road.  This places it immediately across Shermer from Glenview Prairie Club Golf Course and across West Lake from The Glen Club, an 18 hole championship golf course.  It is near Southgate at the Glen which was also developed by the James team.  Westgate is convenient to Glen Town Center, Gallery Park, Attea Middle School, and the Glen’s Metra train station.

173 homes are to be constructed on approximately 29.25 acres of land.  71 row homes, 68 Mews townhomes, and 34 single family homes are planned.  The single family homes and row homes will be configured with first floor master bedrooms; they will have two stories.  The townhomes will have three stories with all bedrooms on the top floor.  The row homes facing Shermer will have golf course views.

The development will be built in two phases.  Each phase will include a mix of row homes and townhomes.  The entire development will have common areas; and it is intended to provide “nearly maintenance-free” living.

Final approval is expected in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2014, and infrastructure development will begin sometime within 12 months thereafter.

If you may have interest in living in The Glen, please contact me at margaretludemann@gmail.com or 847-401-1802.

Margaret Ludemann, resident of The Glen and @properties Realtor

 

 

 

The Glen…before it was The Glen

by

There are reminders everywhere in The Glen.  The statues in the middle of the shops in Glen Town Center.  The commemorative signs on walls along Tower Drive.  Six flags in the park.  And the street names…Independence Avenue, Valor Drive, Constitution Drive, Admiral Court, Patriot Boulevard, and Annapolis Drive.  Here once proudly stood Naval Air Station Glenview!

The Glen is the North Shore’s premier lifestyle community which resides on the land which was an operational air base for the United States Navy from the 1923 until 1995.  Naval Air Station Glenview was used for aircraft training and as a base for sea planes on Lake Michigan, approximately 5 miles away.  During World War II alone over 9,000 Naval, Marine and Coast Guard cadets received their air training on the base.  After the war it was used to support the Naval Air Reserve and active duty Coast Guard.

Among the thousands of service men who received training at Naval Air Station Glenview were some men whose names you will recognize.  President George Herbert Walker Bush received carrier qualification training in Glenview’s base.  President Gerald Ford was stationed here and at nearby Great Lakes Naval Training Station.  And movie star Robert Taylor was a flight instructor for a time at NASG.

The planes no longer fly in Glenview as the base was closed and sold to the Village of Glenview which developed what is known today as The Glen.  Today The Glen is a premier destination venue for shopping and for those who want to dine in one of our many wonderful eateries.  In fact residents of The Glen can walk to 17 restaurants and scores of shops, as well as a movie theater, book store, art gallery, park, lake, pools, Kohl Children’s Museum, and two golf courses.  The Glen is also home to some of the finest single family homes, townhomes, duplexes, villas, two-flats, and condos in the Chicago metropolitan area.

The Glen has it all…including a rich military history.  If you may be interested in living in The Glen, please contact me.   I have been a resident of this beautiful community for ten years.  I can be reached at margaretludemann@gmail.com or 847-401-1802.

Margaret Ludemann, @properties Realtor