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February 24, 2026

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Greetings Edgewater! 

Here’s what you need to know this week:

🚙 Drive safe: A 25 miles per hour speed limit goes into effect for most residential streets in Skokie starting March 1.

🤧 Stay healthy: Free flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are available at Village Hall this Wednesday afternoon.

✅ Cast your ballot: The Gubernatorial Primary Election is March 17. Learn about ways to vote, including early voting, election day voting and vote by mail.

Karianne Soulsby and Gracie Vasquez cut the ribbon at BonBon Bakeshop along with Economic Vitality staff Rodney Tonelli and Carol White, Mayor Ann Tennes, and Clerk Minal Desai.

Congratulations to BonBon Bakeshop, 5023 Oakton St., which celebrated its official ribbon cutting on Monday afternoon.

Made at the Market: BonBon Bakeshop was born at the Skokie Farmers’ Market, where two seasoned pastry chefs—Stefan Markov of The Naked Truffle and Karianne Soulsby of Diva Chocolates & Confections—met as fellow vendors and decided to form a new venture together.

On the menu: Visit BonBon Bakeshop and check out their selection of beautiful chocolates, delicious baked goods, handcrafted gelato, coffee and more!

Zelda’s Table – the gourmet to-go service of Zelda’s Catering – is now open at 4018 Main St.!

On the menu: Stop by Zelda’s Table to pick up individual and family-style meals prepared fresh daily by the culinary experts from Zelda’s Catering. Plus, don’t miss their Papastrami counter for a mouthwatering selection of hot, made-to-order sandwiches.

Next up: Gelati Biscotti anticipates opening next door at 4014 Main St. later this spring.

Strategic vision: These new food establishments, which were supported by a Village Retail Enhancement Grant, join next-door neighbor Soul Good Coffee in completely transforming this block of Main Street. The Village’s Main Street Commercial Corridor Plan envisions activating safe and attractive public spaces, building identity, and identifying opportunities for new development along this corridor in the years to come.

Students from Niles West and Niles North high schools shared information with the Board about this year’s Dance Marathon, which will support Niles Township Food Pantry.

At the February 17, 2026 meeting, the Skokie Village Board:

Watch a recording of the meeting for a discussion of these items and more.

Rendering of the 4600 Main St. townhouse development.

On Tuesday evening, the Village Board advanced plans for a proposed development that would bring 68 townhouse residences with 24 two-bedroom units and 44 three-bedroom units to 4600 Main St., the former site of Arie Crown Hebrew Day School.

This proposed project is substantially similar to a development previously proposed on the same site that received Board approval in 2023, but was never built.   

Support for housing initiatives: The Board vote authorized the developer to provide a $450,000 fee-in-lieu of on-site affordable units, which will support the Village’s Housing Fund.

Next steps: An ordinance for final approval will come to the Village Board at a future meeting.

Last week, the Village Board received an update on 4930 Oakton St., the site of the Downtown Skokie hotel project, from Rodney Lewis of Polsinelli Law Firm.

The latest: Village staff and counsel have maintained ongoing communication with the parties involved in litigation related to the project, and have coordinated several meetings involving all parties in order to expedite a resolution of outstanding issues and allow for project completion by a new developer. With optimism that litigation between project parties could be resolved this year, the Village is actively seeking potential developers and has received inquiries from several hotel groups interested in the property.

Learn more: Watch Rodney Lewis’s February 17, 2026 presentation at the Skokie Village Board meeting and visit the hotel project page for updates.

We’re planning important upgrades to our building permit and inspection application system to improve efficiency and service!

TEMPORARY OUTAGE PLANNED

Starting this Wednesday, February 25 at noon through Monday, March 2, the following Village systems will be temporarily unavailable while data is migrated to a new, cloud-based system and staff receive training:

Both online and in-person processing of the services above will be unavailable during this transition window; however, staff will be able to review previously submitted requests and answer questions. 

We anticipate that the upgraded permit system will be available and all services restored by Tuesday, March 3.

NOT IMPACTED

Other online and in-person services – such as utility bill payments, parking fines and fee payments, and pet licensing – will not be impacted by this transition and will continue to be available.

We appreciate your patience as we complete this upgrade, which will improve service in the years to come.

The Storefront. (Photo by Rich Cahan.)

Shake loose your imagination this March at Creativity Lab, a playful, hands-on series led by Victoria Reeves. 

The details: Classes meet at The Storefront, 4051 Main St., on Thursdays, March 5, 12 and 19, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and are open to anyone curious about new ways of thinking and making. The $90 fee includes all supplies, plus plenty of joy and connection.

What to expect: Through a thoughtfully curated mix of exercises, Creativity Lab invites you to rediscover (or discover for the first time) your creative energy. Expect surprises, eclectic adventures and a little jazz energy as you explore art, words and imagination in a welcoming, judgment-free space.

EVENTS

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton St.