Community Corner

The Glen vs. Fort Sheridan: Successes and Challenges

Crain's Chicago Business takes an interesting, in-depth look at the two decommissioned bases to see why one 'soared and the other staggered.'

Ever wonder why The Glen is a bustling, walkable community with very little undeveloped space while Fort Sheridan is a quieter residential enclave with some promised developments yet to materialize? Additionally, The Glen brings in a lot of municipal revenue; Fort Sheridan does not.

Crain’s Chicago Business sets out to answer these questions in an in-depth analysis of the two decommissioned bases. It’s an interesting read. Key points in their analysis include:

  • Fort Sheridan was listed to be shuttered in 1988; the Glenview Naval Air Station in 1993. In those intervening five years, the federal government stopped trying to make money off its bases and instead gave the land free to communities with a solid development plan. That means that Fort Sheridan generates only enough property taxes for adjacent Highland Park and Highwood to pay for its services while Glenview reaped at least $200 million off sales of the land it got for free.
  • Glenview was the only municipality involved in the Glen’s development, which streamlined the process, compared to Fort Sheridan, which had input from Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest and the Lake County Forest Preserve.

You can read the full, interesting Crain's analysis here.

Find out what's happening in Glenviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

What do you think of the two developments side by side? Where do you think the best decisions were made?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here