From Runways to Streetscapes

By Donald Owen and Daniel Walsh

In 1993, Congress announced the closing of the 1,121-acre Glenview Naval Air Station (GNAS) through the Base Realignment and Closure(BRAC) program, providing a rare opportunity to establish an entirely new planned community within a mature, landlocked village on Chicago’s north shore.

Using smart growth principles, the old military base has now been replaced with: nearly 1,900 single-family, multi-family, and senior housing units; almost two million square feet of retail and office uses; two golf courses; a children’s museum; a 140-acre park; a 45-acre lake; a 32-acre prairie preserve; a 165,000 square foot community center; new police and fire stations; a commuter train station; a three-story middle school; and a 20-acre public safety training academy. In addition, a new child development center serving the nearby Naval Training Center Great Lakes’ military personnel was built.

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