Glenview Seizes Control of Vacant 56-Acre Site, Approves Long-Delayed Intersection Overhaul.

GLENVIEW, Ill. – In a pair of landmark decisions aimed at reshaping the community, the Village of Glenview Board of Trustees unanimously approved a more than $23 million deal to acquire the vast, vacant Signode industrial campus and greenlit funding for a long-sought intersection improvement project at its meeting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

The two major initiatives signal a significant investment in the village's future, focusing on both creating new community amenities and modernizing critical infrastructure.

A New Future for the Signode Site

The centerpiece of the meeting was the approval to purchase the 56-acre former Signode packaging plant at 3600-3700 W. Lake Ave., a property that has sat vacant since the company relocated in 2022. The campus is directly across the street from Glenbrook South High School.

Village officials stated the primary intention of the $23 million acquisition is to control the redevelopment of the prominent property. Early-stage plans envision transforming the largely industrial land into open space and other community amenities.

"We are buying it and there will be a public process on uses, but the intent is to have intergovernmental agreements with the park district and possibly school districts," a village official explained. "This will create a lot of green space and options."

To finance the purchase, the village will use cash reserves from funds with available balances, not drawing heavily from its permanent fund. The village plans to recoup its investment by leasing portions of the land to other governmental entities.

"Within 10 years, we believe we will have all of the money paid back plus interest, which will result in about a $5 million surplus," officials said.

Waukegan & Lake Intersection Project Finally Moves Forward**

In a separate but equally significant action, the board authorized spending for the Waukegan Road and East Lake Avenue intersection improvement project, a venture the village has pursued since the 2010s.

According to a village board report, state-led efforts had stalled for years. "Therefore, the village led efforts to seek outside funding, and management of the project to enable this significant local and regional project to move forward," the report stated.

The project is now primarily federally funded, with the village anticipating a 90% reimbursement for certain costs. At the meeting, trustees authorized up to $1.35 million for underground utility work and $210,000 for easement land acquisition, both of which will see the high level of federal reimbursement.

The project includes pavement rehabilitation, new right and left turn lanes, multi-purpose sidewalks, enhanced pedestrian crossings, new street lighting, and streetscape improvements. Decorative elements like a seating wall, banner displays, landscaping, and village branding will be funded by the village.

“By improving this intersection located on the main corridor of the village, it will help to improve safety but also beautify a key crossroads to Glenview,” the village report said.

With the board's actions, final funding agreements are due to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) by next month. Utility work is scheduled to begin this spring or summer, with major road construction expected to start in the fall and continue through spring 2026.