Optima Communities is embarking on a 150-unit residential development in downtown Wilmette that’s nearly identical to the one next door.

Contingent upon Wilmette officials approving the development, the Glencoe-based firm will acquire the property at 721-739 Green Bay Road, formerly known as the Imperial Motors site, the North Shore Record reported.

The project, called Optima Verdana Phase 2, would feature 150 apartments, with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. It would also include commercial space on the ground floor. A Starbucks that currently operates at the site will likely remain as a tenant. Rental rates will range from nearly $3,000 to $12,000 per month.

Rising six stories and apexing at 62 feet, the design of the building shows a striking resemblance to Optima Verdana Phase 1, which was completed earlier this year. The main difference between the two buildings is that the top floors for the new building will be set back from the sidewalk “to create a tapering effect that aesthetically concludes the combined forms with a rhythmic, logical ending,” the project overview said, according to the outlet.

There was an open house at the Wilmette Public Library last night, allowing residents to engage in discussions regarding the development. Optima hasn’t officially submitted its proposal, said Wilmette village manager Mike Braiman. The developer could present its formal plans to officials by November at the earliest.

“This type of redevelopment of that site is consistent with the goals of our village center master plan, and it would be the most reasonable proposal we’ve seen to date (for that site),” Braiman told the outlet. “That said, there are going to be a lot of questions from the plan commission and village board, feedback from neighbors and the community at large.”

Rental rates for the first Optima Veranda are in the same range as the targets for the second. There are amenities such as a pickleball court, basketball court, golf simulator, yoga studio, fitness center, business center and dog park.

As part of an agreement with Wilmette, Optima paid $1.6 million to the village to support affordable housing initiatives when undertaking the first project.

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Hovey expects roughly 10% of buyers to combine units into larger custom residences, potentially driving sales prices above $4.5 million. With construction still pending, purchasers can also tailor layouts and finishes to their preferences, he said.

Hovey confirmed that pricing would be among the highest condo sales in Wilmette. In the past year, four units closed for more than $1 million, with the most expensive being a full-floor, 1963-built unit at 1630 Sheridan Road that sold for $2.4 million.

The median single-family sale price in the suburb is about $1.15 million, according to Homes.com data.

Optima Lumina units will have floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closets with built-in shelving, hardwood floors and porcelain tile, and Thermador or Gaggenau appliances. Some units will have private terraces or courtyards.

The project plans to include nearly 6,000 square feet of retail space, with Starbucks confirmed for 1,900 square feet. Potential contenders for future retail space include what Hovey described as “destination high-end retail.” Several restaurants are in conversation for leases, he said.

Amenities include about 9,000 square feet of combined open space. Optima is planning a 7,000-square-foot plaza with public art, and resident amenities include a library lounge, game room, fitness center, and yoga and Pilates studios. Residents will also have access to a pet spa, massage room, and indoor pickleball and basketball courts.

A sports lounge touts a golf simulator, and the 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck will have a spa, cold plunge, sauna, steam room, red-light therapy, pool and a dog park.

Located at 721-739 Green Bay Road, the development is across the street from Wilmette’s Metra commuter train station.

“These projects, whether it’s condos or apartments, they really help keep downtown suburbs like the village of Wilmette vibrant. … This is necessary for suburbs right now to have this type of higher density housing available,” said Hovey.

Wilmette approved the project in 2024. The project will arise on a 1.56-acre lot, replacing a former car dealership, Imperial Motors, that’s scheduled for demolition this winter. Move-ins are planned for 2028.

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Preliminary renderings have emerged for a second phase of Optima’s Optima Verdana project in Wilmette. Planned for the former Imperial Motors site, the second phase would rise just to the north of the first phase at 721 Green Bay Road.

Designed by the team at Optima, this second phase would match the height of the first phase, reaching a height of 62 feet with six floors. The glassy exterior and vertical landscaping will be incorporated into the design and the building massing will feature more setbacks than the first phase.

The building would accommodate 150 rental units with a mix of one-beds, two-beds, and three-beds. The ground floor would hold commercial space and an outdoor plaza for public use that measures approximately 4,000 square feet.

According to The Record North Shore, to gain approval for the project, Optima would have to submit a pre-application, undergo a Village staff review, file a preliminary application, and eventually go in front of the Appearance Review Commission, Plan Commission and Village Board.

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Condominium sales have begun for Optima Lumina, a condominium development planned for downtown Wilmette on Chicago’s North Shore. Planned by Optima, Inc, the 133-unit for-sale condominium community is designed, developed, built and managed by the integrated real estate firm. The development will replace the former Imperial Motors car dealership and is located immediately north of Optima Verdana, a 100-unit rental community that Optima opened in 2023.

Located at the corner of Green Bay Road and Washington Avenue, directly across from Wilmette’s Metra commuter rail station, Optima Lumina features 133 for-sale residences, approximately 5,900 square feet of retail space, a publicly accessible plaza and resident amenities. The existing Starbucks at 739 Green Bay Road has announced plans to move into a brand-new retail space at Optima Lumina when the community opens in 2028.

Designed in house, Optima Lumina represents the company’s first exterior use of architectural terracotta, a richly textured material that has been reimagined in a modern expression. The building’s exterior design also features large, recessed balconies and terraces incorporating the developer’s proprietary Vertical Landscaping System along the roofline and terraces, draping greenery across the facade.

Residents will have access to an extensive collection of amenities centered around a private courtyard and rooftop Sky Deck. Amenities include a fitness center, locker rooms, yoga and Pilates studios, sports lounge with golf simulator, indoor pickleball and basketball court, massage room, business center, library lounge, dog park and pet spa, children’s playroom and landscaped courtyard. The Sky Deck will feature a heated pool with a retractable glass wall for year-round use, spa and cold plunge, sauna and steam rooms, red-light therapy room, locker rooms, outdoor garden lounge, outdoor kitchens, dining areas, fire pits, residents’ club, chef’s kitchen and sweeping tree-top views of Wilmette and the surrounding North Shore.

Pricing for one-bedroom residences is anticipated to begin in the $595,000s, with two-bedroom residences starting in the $895,000s, three-bedroom residences beginning in the $1.99 million range and four-bedroom residences priced from $4.59 million. Buyers seeking larger custom homes may combine multiple residences to create floor plans uniquely their own.

Among the community’s most distinctive offerings are five “duplex-down” residences that combine at-grade and below-grade living spaces connected by interior staircases and illuminated by light wells that bring natural light into the lower level. Designed to offer the privacy and comfort often associated with a single-family home, the residences provide direct access to their designated indoor parking spaces at Lumina. Select ground-floor residences will also feature expansive private courtyards that extend the living space outdoors.

The Optima Lumina sales gallery features a design center that allows prospective buyers to explore floor plans, finishes and personalized design opportunities by working directly with Optima’s in-house architects and design professionals. Buyers will also have the unique opportunity to combine multiple residences before construction to create expansive custom homes.

Condominium sales at Optima Lumina are represented by Optima Real Estate, Inc. and Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty. The Optima Lumina sales gallery, located at 711 Green Bay Road on the ground floor of Optima Verdana, is now accepting appointments.

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Your eyes are not playing tricks on you and you are not experiencing deja vu. If it feels like you’ve seen the above image before, it’s because you have — sort of.

The preliminary rendering is of Optima Verdana Phase 2, a nearly identical concept and design as Optima Verdana, which was erected in Wilmette on Green Bay Road over the past two years.

The Village of Wilmette confirmed that Optima has a deal in place to acquire the property at 721-739 Green Bay Road, known as the former Imperial Motors site. The agreement is contingent on Optima gaining approval to develop the land into Optima Verdana Phase II.

According to preliminary plans viewed by The Record, the project would be six stories and 62 feet tall — matching that of Phase I next door. It would feature up to 150 rental units in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, as well as commercial space on the ground level.

Optima announced its proposal to neighbors via letter, inviting them to an open house to discuss the project from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Wilmette Public Library.

Wilmette Village Manager Mike Braiman said Optima has not officially filed its new concept with the village and the earliest it would be in front of public officials is November.

“This type of redevelopment of that site is consistent with the goals of our village center master plan, and it would be the most reasonable proposal we’ve seen to date (for that site),” Braiman said. “That said, there are going to be a lot of questions from the plan commission and Village Board, feedback from neighbors and the community at large.”

While the Phase II plan shows glass exterior and vertical landscaping like Phase I, in a significant difference from its sister building, it will set back its top floors from the sidewalk “to create a tapering effect that aesthetically concludes the combined forms with a rhythmic, logical ending,” the project overview says.

Along Green Bay Road to the east and the alley to the west, the building will rise 51 feet before a 15 1/2-foot setback of the sixth floor. On the north side, adjacent to Washington Street, the building will set back its top three floors with the top floor removed nearly 44 feet from the sidewalk elevation.

According to Optima’s preliminary plans, it hopes to keep Starbucks on the ground floor of the building. The two adjacent buildings would be about 60 feet apart but meet at the ground level with a 4,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that diners and the public could use. Another open space would be installed on the north side of the building.

Phase I offers units for between $2,956 to more than $12,000 (2 penthouse units, already rented) per month. Inside, its first floor includes amenities such as a pickleball/basketball court, golf simulator, yoga studio, fitness center, business center, dog park, and interior and exterior lounges.

As a condition of the original project’s approval, Optima paid the Village of Wilmette $1.6 million to support affordable-housing initiatives villagewide — a payment that was executed in the fall of 2021. The funds, according to previous Record reporting, were granted to Community Partners for Affordable Housing, which believes it can turn the support into at least 15 affordable units.

Optima’s preliminary plans state it will present a proposal to support affordable housing at a later date. Braiman said the Village would look for Optima to contribute a minimum of what it did for Phase I.

If Optima moves forward, it would submit a pre-application, endure a Village staff review, file a preliminary application, and eventually go in front of the Appearance Review Commission, Plan Commission and Village Board.

“This is going to be a long, challenging review process for Optima,” Braiman said. “We will look to feedback from community and impact on the community and for the plan commission and village board for a final decision.”

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A luxury condominium building planned for downtown Wilmette is attracting attention attention for its price points, with the largest units set to sell for $4.59 million, according to an announcement from the developer. Several area residents and business owners are welcoming it, saying it provides options in a tight real estate market.

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Public hearings on the second phase of the Optima Verdana luxury apartments on Green Bay Road in Wilmette are expected to start in February and plans include more than $2 million earmarked for affordable housing in village, officials said.

Optima Verdana Phase 2, at 721 to 739 Green Bay Road, is still in the planning stage but if the village board signs off on the project later this year it will be build directly north of Optima Verdana Phase 1 at 1210 Central Ave.

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Plans for a second large residential development from Optima in Wilmette’s Green Bay Road Corridor continue to evolve.

For the second time, Optima requested and was granted a delay in the Village of Wilmette’s public review of the plans as the company “responds to the feedback we’ve received from the community members and the Village of Wilmette,” said David Hovey Jr, Optima’s president and chief operating officer, in an email to The Record.

It is unclear when the review process will resume; however, Village Manager Mike Braiman does not expect a lengthy delay. Different components of Optima’s plans for Optima Lumina, the revised name for the development, must be considered by the Village of Wilmette’s Housing Commission, Appearance Review Commission, Plan Commission and Board of Trustees.

Optima Lumina is a proposed six-story development at 721-739 Green Bay Road, adjacent to its sister building Optima Verdana, a six-story, 100-unit complex built from 2021-2023.

A primary change from Optima Lumina’s original plans, which featured a similar design to Optima Verdana, is the inclusion of further bird-friendly materials and design, Hovey Jr. said.

The change comes in the wake of criticism from Wilmette volunteers who tracked bird collisions at Optima Verdana in October 2023, according to reporting from The Record.

In response, Optima reportedly is making the glaze on its windows less transparent and improving other components of its “bird collision deterrence design,” Hovey Jr. wrote.

Other changes in the most recent plans, Hovey Jr. said, include: a reduction on the exposed glazing on the exterior of the building, more open space and building separation between the two Optima buildings, and the incorporation of colors that blend with traditional building materials.

The Village of Wilmette confirmed last August that Optima had a conditional deal in place to purchase and develop the land where a former Imperial Motors factory is located, 721-739 Green Bay Road.

According to Optima’s preliminary plans, the development would be a six-story building with 150 rental units with one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts and commercial space on the ground floor. The revised plans list fewer units (135) that are no longer rentals but condominiums.

Optima had also previously stated that it planned to keep the Starbucks restaurant on the ground floor.

The building is being designed to feature a tapering effect on the top floors that will set back the building from the sidewalk, initial plans said. Along the north side of the building, the building will set back the top three floors with the top floor removed nearly 44 feet from the sidewalk elevation. On the east side of the building, the building will rise 51 feet before a 15 and a half-foot setback of the sixth floor.

Optima stated that they are also looking to include a 4,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that would be open for diners and the public.

As part of the Optima Verdana approval, Optima paid the Village of Wilmette $1.6 million to support affordable housing initiatives in the village. The funds were paid in the fall of 2021 and granted to Community Partners for Affordable Housing.

Optima’s preliminary plans stated it would present a proposal to support affordable housing at a later date. Braiman has said the Village would look for Optima to contribute a minimum of what it did for Verdana.

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Optima Inc has received final village board approval for Optima Lumina, a 128-unit luxury residential building in downtown Wilmette on Chicago’s North Shore. The six-story building features one- to three-bedroom residences of up to nearly 3,000 square feet, almost 5,900 square feet of retail space, a large public plaza, robust amenity package and a number of sustainable features, including Optima’s proprietary Vertical Landscaping System.

Replacing the long-vacant former Imperial Motors car dealership located at 720-739 Green Bay Road, the transit-oriented development is conveniently located directly across from Wilmette’s Metra rail commuter station. It also is immediately north of Optima’s 100-unit, high-end rental community, Optima Verdana, which welcomed residents in 2023 and is now fully leased with a significant waitlist. The residences at Optima Lumina are envisioned as for-sale condominiums but may shift based on market conditions.

“The success of Optima Verdana has demonstrated the high demand for luxury new-construction multifamily housing on the North Shore,” said David Hovey, Jr. AIA, president of Optima, Inc. “Optima Lumina builds on that demand by offering the option for current residents looking to downsize from single-family homes as well as would-be North Shore buyers struggling to find a home due to the area’s low inventory of available housing. Optima is committed to serving as responsible long-term stewards of downtown Wilmette, and we look forward to Optima Lumina enhancing the community and its vibrant character.”

Conceived as a complementary but entirely stand-alone community from neighboring Optima Verdana, Optima Lumina is separated from its neighbor by a 75-foot-wide publicly accessible landscaped plaza containing outdoor seating, public art and a fountain. Optima Lumina further differentiates itself from Optima Verdana through its own unique architectural language and identity, which includes the company’s first-ever use of terracotta in a building facade system.

Optima Lumina’s innovative exterior design also incorporates the developer’s proprietary Vertical Landscaping System along its roofline and terraces, which will provide greenery on the building’s facade. The system was pioneered by Optima at its Arizona communities and made its Midwest debut at Optima Verdana by utilizing plant species selected to stay green year-round. The exterior plantings provide biophilic and sustainability benefits such as improved solar shading, evaporative cooling, air purification, noise reduction, stormwater management and balcony privacy as the greenery matures over time.

On its ground floor, Optima Lumina will offer resident amenities, including an indoor basketball and pickleball court; sports lounge with a golf simulator and indoor putting green; and a fitness center with dedicated yoga and Pilates studios. According to Hovey Jr., Optima intends to retain the existing Starbucks at 739 Green Bay Road within one of Optima Lumina’s new commercial spaces, complete with dedicated outdoor seating and off-street retail parking. The building’s rooftop amenity sky deck features a resident lounge, showcase kitchen, clubroom, outdoor grilling areas, bocce court, steam room, sauna, cold plunge and lap pools with retractable glass walls, and sweeping views of downtown Wilmette and the surrounding treetop canopy.

In addition to being designed in-house, Optima Lumina will also be developed, built, sold and managed by Optima. The building is targeting a Two Green Globes certification, a sustainability rating that evaluates a property’s environmental impact, energy efficiency, water conservation and indoor air quality. Optima Lumina’s notable sustainable features include the use of VRF heating and cooling systems, eco-friendly induction cooktops, electric outdoor grills and providing 100% EV charging capacity in its below-ground parking garage.

As part of the firm’s zoning agreement with the Village, Optima will provide a $3.8 million contribution to advance affordable housing in Wilmette. The donation is more than double the $1.6 million affordable housing contribution the firm previously made with the approval of Optima Verdana.

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