Village Of Deerfield: Mayor Reflects On 2025, Looks Ahead To New Year

Press release from the Village of Deerfield:

Reflecting on 2025, I am proud of what we accomplished together and am excited about the year ahead. We strengthened core services, repaved Hazel Avenue to improve safety and reliability, launched a new municipal adjudication system to handle citations more efficiently, and continued to focus on responsive, transparent service at Village Hall.

In addition, several residential projects are under construction that will add more than 600 new homes across a range of options and price points. Lake Cook Crossings at Deerbrook Mall will offer a 254 unit rental community with a pedestrian path to the Metra station and will include 25 affordable units. Pulte’s Leclair Estates is transforming 18 acres of the Wilmot Road Walgreens campus into 42 single family homes, with homebuilding already in progress. At 5 and 8 Parkway North, 144 rental townhomes, including 14 affordable units, are going vertical. In addition, the Deerfield Supportive Living Facility at 1101-1121 Lake Cook Road is nearing completion, delivering a four-story building with 147 affordable units for seniors.

Our finances remain very strong. Looking ahead, the Village Board has approved a $62.7 million budget for 2026 that invests $8.03 million in capital infrastructure to maintain streets, utilities and facilities, with the average homeowner paying $70 more in property taxes. We are proud to maintain our Aaa bond rating and remain committed to careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

We also advanced our climate goals. This year, we completed a ground mounted 574 kilowatt solar array behind the Water Reclamation Facility, a key step toward the Climate Action Report targets adopted in 2022: reducing emissions 45% by 2030, converting 100% of electricity to renewable sources by 2030, and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The new system is expected to supply about 20% of the facility’s annual electricity with clean power. The total project cost was $2,248,297, with a net cost after incentives of $642,306, resulting in an estimated 11 year payback and a projected 20 year net positive cash flow of $1,101,678. In addition to the 20% solar supply at the WRF, we implemented Community Solar at the WRF that allows the Village to support renewable energy without installing additional solar panels and generates savings of approximately $28,000 per year.

Interest in the Lake Cook Road and Downtown tax increment financing districts is strong as we work to bring new commercial businesses and amenities to Deerfield.

I’d like to welcome all of the new businesses that opened or increased their presence in Deerfield in 2025:

• Fortune Brands, 1 Horizon Way
• Vantive, 510 Lake Cook Road
• Field House, 695 Deerfield Road
• Sephora, 728 Waukegan Road
• K9 Resort, 649 Lake Cook Road
• SkyZone, 120 S. Waukegan Road
• LKD Kitchen Design, 350 Lake Cook Road
• Ultimate Ninjas Academy, 775 Waukegan Road
• Clay & Company, 816 Waukegan Road
• VIO Med Spa (rebranded Venus Med Spa), 740 Waukegan Road
• Grateful Sun Energy, 675 Deerfield Road
• Elegant Repairs, 687 Waukegan Road
• Pvolve, 720 Waukegan Road

Together, we will build on our successes, invest in our infrastructure and welcome new commercial businesses and housing that will continue to make Deerfield a special place to call home.

The year ahead promises progress, innovation and connection, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.

With warm regards,

Daniel C. Shapiro, Mayor

This press release was produced by the Village of Deerfield. The views expressed here are the author’s own.