Lakefront Homeowners' Lawsuit Against Winnetka Dismissed

WINNETKA, IL — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by lakefront property owners against Winnetka that challenged the village's building, construction and steep slope protection regulations.

"The Court explicitly rejected the plaintiffs’ claims that the Village’s ordinance constituted an unconstitutional taking of their properties," Winnetka officials said in a statement.

The lawsuit stems from an ordinance passed in 2024, which added additional shoreline regulations to protect the village's bluffs. The ordinance amended the village's zoning code and allows lakeside property owners to build or rebuild structures on the steep slope sections of their bluffs as long as they meet the new regulations.

At the time the village passed the new ordinance, the group of lakefront property owners warned they would sue. The lawsuit, filed on May 2, 2024, called the ordinance a "blatant and unjustified attack on Plaintiffs’ property rights rests on false premises."

"The public does not own the bluffs. The public has no legal access to the bluffs," the lawsuit states. "Plainly put, Winnetka cannot mandate aesthetic preferences through an ordinance enacted under the guise of protecting the 'public health, safety, and welfare.'"

Winnetka was inspired to change its zoning laws after construction of the state's most expensive residential property, owned by Justin Ishbia, sparked controversy. Residents took issue with the removal of bluffs along some of Ishbia's 3.7 acre coastline.

The judge gave the plaintiffs until Oct. 30 to amend the complaint and state a valid claim, the village said.